When Tarkeina thinks back to her early days of motherhood, one word comes to mind: disconnected.
Before she ever set foot in Community of Hope, she was navigating the complex world of health care and breastfeeding with uncertainty and without the guidance she wanted. “I felt disconnected.” As a new mother and a Black woman, she didn’t feel fully supported in her health or her breastfeeding journey. That sense of isolation shifted when her mother, a patient at Community of Hope, introduced her to the care and community she had been missing.
Through her connection with Community of Hope, Tarkeina found affirmation, support, and a sense of belonging. She enrolled in our WIC program, a vital source of support for many families, offering nutrition education, access to healthy foods, and connections to healthcare and other community resources.
For Tarkeina, the most powerful part was what she discovered within herself.
“I’m a big advocate for Black women breastfeeding,” she says. “Too often, we’re not told that our milk is enough—that it’s one of the most powerful gifts we can give our babies.”
Now 27 and raising her 3-year-old son, she’s passionate about helping other moms understand the deep value of breastfeeding. She speaks knowledgeably about the many benefits: how breast milk can help when a baby is sick, soothe skin issues, and even support a mother’s own healing. Her conviction is rooted in personal experience, but also in a desire to uplift others in her community who may not be getting the encouragement they need.
“It’s not that they don’t want to breastfeed,” she explains. “It’s that breastfeeding is not always seen as an option or pushed hard enough. People don’t encourage them.”
Now, Tarkeina wants to be part of changing that. Through WIC, she’s not only received guidance, but she’s found her voice. The encouragement and education she received through Community of Hope and WIC have helped her build confidence and prepare to uplift others. It’s a full-circle journey: from uncertainty to advocacy. And she’s just getting started.
Community of Hope offers WIC services to our patients and to anyone in the community at three convenient locations: Conway Health and Resource Center on Atlantic Street SW, Family Health and Birth Center on Bladensburg Rd NE, and At The Commons at Stanton Square on Elvans Rd SE. To sign up or make our sites your primary location, call 202-470-3074
