December 3, 2009
Gregg Steinhafel
Chairman, President and CEO
Target Corporation
1000 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN 55403
Dear Mr. Steinhafel,
Earlier this week Michigan mother, Mary Martinez, made headlines when Target security personnel harassed her for breastfeeding her child in your Harper Woods Target store. Security personnel incorrectly told this mother that what she was doing was “illegal” and they called the police on her. Police confirmed that the mother was in the right, but the humiliation she was subjected to during this incident is inexcusable.
Mothers around the world have heard this story, even starting a Facebook group called “We Support Mary”. This incident has not gone unnoticed, and we are greatly disappointed that a company that prides itself on community involvement would discriminate against a local mother doing the best for her child.
While Michigan law may not have specific language protecting a mother’s right to nurse in your store, many other states do have such language. In my home state of Illinois, “the law provides that a mother may breastfeed her baby in any location, public or private”, and includes an enforcement provision which allows a mother to seek legal recourse against any establishment which would try to deny her that right. Section 15 of the “Right to Breastfeed Act” even states that “if the woman prevails in her suit, she shall be awarded reasonable attorney’s fees and reasonable expenses of litigation.”
I think it is important for the Target corporation to understand that what this security guard did was not only terrible customer service, but a violation of this mother and child’s basic human right to feed. While you may contend that this was an isolated incident, it does not reflect well on the training your employees receive. On behalf of mothers everywhere, I ask that you train every Target employee on the rights of nursing mothers, and adopt a formal breastfeeding policy to support these valued customers. I would also encourage you to post the international breasfeeding symbol in your stores so nursing mothers know they are welcome. If even Walmart has a formal policy, surely Target can too.
Regards,
Gina Crosley-Corcoran
Nursing Mother and Activist
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