1964 is Adversely Identical to 2020 on the Basis of Racism

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     Although New York Times Bestseller, The Secret Life of Bees, written by Sue Monk Kidd is set in 1964, it's theme surrounding the civil rights and irrationality of racism in the American South can be closely examined to fit into today's era of racial inequality and hardships faced by African Americans. To say that it is extremely heartbreaking that excessive ideals of racism continue to exist in America, after hundreds of years of attempted change, would be the greatest understatement. If not ever, the current year of 2020 has revealed the true colors of racism that reside in the souls of white supremacists. The repeated cycle of racism through generations have continued to burden, oppress and murder the innocent lives of African Americans. Kidd highlights the issues, stereotypes and prejudices clouded around racism through the storytelling of protagonist, Lily Owens. 

    For starters, my favorite characteristics of Kidd's novel are the authenticity and honesty that guides the storytelling. Lily accounts her whole truth, even the worst parts, which is step one to overcoming the ugliness of racism that is innately embedded inside of her. She tells the readers that her father, T.Ray, never believed that colored women were smart. However, she admits "I thought they could be smart, but not as smart as me, me being white" (Kidd, 78). As Lily experiences a front row seat to the lives of an eccentric trio of black beekeeping sisters, she is mesmerized and utterly surprised by their intelligence and cultured characteristics. When Lily notices how shocked she is by these traits of black people, she then realizes, "That's what let me know I had some prejudice buried inside me" (Kidd, 78). The fact that Lily, being only fourteen years old, can fully acknowledge and admit her racist faults is extremely inspiring and it says a lot about herself as a human being. If only white people in today's era could own up to their racist faults, the nation could begin the never-before-seen journey towards equality and acceptance of all races. 

    Black people, back in the 60s and sadly also in today's society, constantly experience rejection from white people solely due to the color of their skin. For the first time in Lily's existence, she experiences firsthand how that rejection results in the sense of feeling inferior and unworthy. One of the beekeeping sisters, June, barely ever comes to the comfortability of taking in a runaway white girl. June repeatedly makes it obvious that she doesn't plan on making Lily feel welcome because she is white. According to Lily, this was a great revelation, "not that I was white but that it seemed like June might not want me here because of my skin color. I hadn't known this was possible-to reject people for being white" (Kidd, 87). This revelation is ironic, right? She didn't believe it was okay, let alone possible, to reject people for being white. When on the contrary, that's the same way every single black person feels when rejected by whites for the same reason- their skin color. Individuals should not be prejudged or discriminated by first glance because on the basis of appearance, only skin color and bodily features are apparent, rather than their souls and the sincerity of their hearts. 

    Lastly, to be completely frank, the society will live in today is not much different from the oppressing times experienced by African Americans back in the 60s. Most people, if not everyone, whether black or white see the color of others rather than their individuality. Lily comes to terms with this reality near the middle of novel. She admits, "it washed over me for the first time in my life just how much importance the world had ascribed to skin pigment, how lately it seemed that skin pigment was the sun and everything else in the universe was the orbiting planets" (Kidd, 155). Kidd hits the nail on the head with this assertion; the creation of this sentence seems beautifully effortless. I can, without a doubt, relate to this sense of reality that the world has come to. Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees was published in 1997 and the story's plot is set in 1964, however, the theme surrounding the civil rights and irrationality of racism in America can be examined to fit into today's 2020 era of racial inequality and hardships faced by African Americans.

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