Flowers are considered to be very beautiful creations. A variety of shapes, colors, smells all existing on one planet simultaneously. But flowers are only able to continue doing what they do on a large scale because of bees. Bees keep the cycle going, they provide life to basically all of us only to get killed, hunted and exploited in the process. Well, I think the black woman is a bee and flowers are the rest of the world. Everyone thinks bees are just pests that fly too close to us when we wear bright colors or smell too sweet not realizing they’re doing it for a specific purpose. Bees help everything progress. They were designed to pollinate, help plants grow, and produce food. They do this by bringing their pollen wherever they go fluttering from flower to flower to continue the cycle of life. Only to have their impactful roles in nature overlooked and consistently treated as a pest until the world decides to realize they need them nearing their endangerment.
` According to Malcolm X and most black women, "The most disrespected woman in America is the black woman. The most un-protected person in America is the black woman." We are disproportionately disrespected and unprotected, and as expected, our mental health as a collective has taken a toll. We've seen and experienced so much, and the hustle and bustle of our lives, in particular, don't allow the time for us to sit down and acknowledge how we're genuinely feeling. Black women, children, and teenagers (females) have experienced some sort of trauma simply because our struggle is still legal in America. The black community and the world as a whole need to address the mistreatment of black women. The focus often goes towards black men, whether it be from the media and the entire world. While the purpose of mentioning this is not to discredit or invalidate but to simply inspire the inclusion of black women. We too experience police brutality, we too are killed at the hands of negligent doctors, we matter too. Our story deserves to get heard, understood, and solved just as much as any other demographic, but back to the bees.
The endangerment of bees is rapidly becoming a reality. Bumblebees and honey-bees especially are being captured and exploited for honey and other capitalist and consumeristic purposes. And when allowed to roam free and do as they do, which is pollinate flowers and single-handedly allow agriculture to flourish, they are treated as pests. How many times have you swatted a bee? Or even killed one simply because it flew too close to you? Your answer would probably affirm my point. Black women could relate to the story of the bee. Our intellect and power as we spread it from country to country enriching its culture and good life, we’re treated as a pest. Our hairstyles are deemed unprofessional in the workplace, but somehow trendy when white women wear them. Our children and young women are called “fast” because of their natural curves while the rest of the world gets to thrive from plastic surgery comfortably and without ridicule. Black women and non-men are the blueprints for most popular trends within popular culture and the LGBTQ+ community as well which is often left out. Did you know a black woman was responsible for creating a heater? What about Caller Id, something we use daily? Hairbrushes? Home security? Not to mention black women are the leading minority female group of business owners with more than 2 million businesses in the U.S alone. All these contributions to daily life and well being yet, in our current political climate, no one is valuing the life of black women as they should. And amongst several others, the story of Breonna Taylor illuminates that. Breonna was a black medical worker who was murdered in cold blood by Louisville police officers in March. She was unarmed and peacefully in her home. Her murderers roam free to this day, it is October 13th and while this innocent black woman was robbed for her life, her murderers roam free. And it does not and did not stop with her, it happens almost every day with no media coverage or recognition. But what’s even sadder, is with all the media coverage, protesting, and spread of Breonna’s story, she still doesn’t have justice.
It feels as if it doesn’t matter how hard we work and how much we create everything out of nothing, we are still consistently treated as if our impact has been minimal and our lives don’t matter as if we were some sort of pest, just like a bee. The takeaway message is to value the lives of black women. Acknowledge our struggle as both black and a woman in America and how that significantly impacts our lives. Fight for justice when we’re murdered just as loud as if you were fighting for any other demographic. We deserve to be heard, celebrated, and fought for. Period. Also, stop killing bees, we need them and they’re becoming more and more endangered every day. Thank You.
Remember to love yourself, trust the process & live happier
LanaSpeaks, signing off 💕
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