Rare News Desk
Whether women should breastfeed in public has become a hotly contested topic in recent years.
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While many believe it is a symbol of healthy living and female empowerment, others think it is inappropriate in public places.
A photo appeared online this week showing a young college student breastfeeding her young daughter while attending her college graduation ceremony.
Not only has this young woman earned a degree while raising a child, she also has taken a stand against critics of breastfeeding in public.
After a flurry vindictive and supportive online comments, the young woman in the photo has had to defend her decision to breastfeed in public.
Karlesha Thurman, a recent graduate of California State University at Long Beach doesn’t understand the hubbub over her photo.
“Nobody there had a problem with it,” Thurman told ABC News. “I was facing the other graduates. The crowd couldn’t see me.”
After getting pregnant last year, Thurman was ready to drop out of college and begin raising her child without a college education. After some thought, she realized that the best thing for her daughter would be for her to get the best education possible so she could provide for her on a greater level.
Thurman says that getting her degree was a team effort between mother and daughter.
“She was my motivation to keep going, so me receiving my BA was OUR moment, so glad I captured the moment and so glad you shared it with the world so thank you again,”she wrote on Facebook. “With me having a better education, I would be more likely to provide her with the things she wants and needs in life.”
You took a picture of you breast feeding your child while at a graduation wth man
— Stella.Eth (@stell_inv) June 10, 2014
I don't see anything wrong with that picture of the girl breast feeding at her college graduation.
— Khalidah.eth She/Her (@KhalidahC_) June 10, 2014
https://twitter.com/TieMyDuragBoo/status/476259222024245248
Nothing wrong with breast feeding but y pose for a pic at graduation…shoulda had a cover up…ijs
— Dee (@mzdpbaby) June 10, 2014
I don't understand the big deal about the mom breast feeding her baby at graduation. Like what was she suppose to do? Let the baby starve?
— Doc J (@MakingOf_A_LADY) June 10, 2014
