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	ask the experts kathi barber

Katherine Barber, a 30-year-old entrepreneur from Baltimore, Maryland, received her Bachelors degree in Political Science in the mid-nineties. Born with the spirit of entrepreneurship, Katherine started her own professional writing and editing company, Aminah Writes, in 1995. She then quit her job at a Baltimore newspaper, in 1997, to pursue her passion for writing full-time. Her clients have included several publications, non-profit organizations, a medical journal, a greeting card company and numerous websites.

On March 8, 1997, Katherine's life was changed with the birth of her son, Amyhr. Breastfeeding became such a part of her life that she was soon known as that breastfeeding lady to her friends and family. After reading everything she could find on breastfeeding, Katherine decided to take classes about breastfeeding. As a Certified Lactation Educator and Counselor, Katherine found tremendous joy in providing breastfeeding counseling to African-American women. After learning that the breastfeeding rates for African-American women are astonishingly low, Katherine decided to do something about it and started the African-American Breastfeeding Alliance (AABA). As Founder and Executive Director of AABA, Katherine travels around the country to educate women and professionals about the importance of breastfeeding. AABA offers breastfeeding counseling and Peer Counselor training courses.

On September 30, 1999, Katherine welcomed her daughter, Jayde into her life, and added to her breastfeeding prodigy. Katherine is planning to sit for the International Board Certified Lactation Consultant exam in July 2003.