Bella's Apothecary
  • Home
  • Shop with Bella
  • Harmony Skin Brightening Special
  • Tame Your Beard - Tame Tangerine Special Offer
  • Bella's Corner
  • Manifestation Journal
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Shop with Bella
  • Harmony Skin Brightening Special
  • Tame Your Beard - Tame Tangerine Special Offer
  • Bella's Corner
  • Manifestation Journal
  • Contact
Follow & Contact

Celebrating Memorial Day

5/26/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
Celebrating Memorial Day may be difficult for African Americans in 2018. There is so much evidence of racism woven into American fabric, that the difficulty isn't hard to understand. As a Black Woman and the Mother of a five year old Black boy, I think about Memorial Day and have very mixed feelings but the truth is there are many soldiers that died fighting for our freedom. From what we know today, conditions in the colonies were horrendous for black people because we were subjected to one of the most brutal forms of slavery in the world. Nat Turners rebellion some 30 years before the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863 shows the desperation of many to not only escape that inhumane treatment but also hold their captors accountable while freeing their families from the violet grasp of their 'masters'. What we very rarely talk about is Black participation in the Civil War and how soldiers were treated. On Memorial Day, I like to remember that more than 300 Black soldiers were murdered in cold blood by Confederates while their white counterparts were taken in as Prisoners of War. Now, while I realize this isn't a pretty picture to paint in my head annually, I think it's the only way I can really acknowledge Memorial Day as a day for celebration as a person of color in the present day United States.

Fort Pillow isn't a thing that was talked about regularly during Memorial Day lessons when I was in school and I doubt much has changed about that. It also isn't something that was brought up in my US History courses. It wasn't until I got to college and elected to take Ethic Studies courses that I ever even heard it in a classroom setting. As a Black Mother, this is why I will always celebrate Memorial Day in the way I do. I have to provide a learning environment for my son that is separate from the one he has at school. I have to teach to him that there were soldiers that have died for our rights as Black Americans and that one huge example of that is Fort Pillow. in 1864, a year after the war ended and the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, more than 300 soldiers bravely fought confederates who would have kept us in fields without rights and were murdered upon surrender. This is gruesome and swept under the carpet year after year, but these men deserve to be celebrated no matter how we feel about the current climate or any wars that came after.

PictureWeebly Stock Photos
Fast forward and we are dealing with Jim Crow segregation laws and the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). One of the most popular acts of civil disobedience was the Woolworth's Lunch Counter protest in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1960. Four Black college student refused to leave their seats when being denied service for no other reason than being Black. To this day I am terrified of the Carolina's and will probably never visit there because their racism is legendary. For this reason, I am so appreciative of these students and their bravery. They were slapped in the face, had smoke blown in their faces and had liquids poured on them while sitting at those counters. Knowing that the dehumanizing treatment they were enduring would ignite a flame in the hearts of Black people across the south who were tired of being treated as 'other'. The amount of violence that these protesters faced knew no bounds because they were not seen as human by Confederates in the south, and the audacity of them to demand equality had deadly consequences. There were countless crosses burned on people's lawns, children terrorized, women raped, families lynched and more.  For these seemingly forgotten and unnamed hero's, I celebrate. 

Another Civil Rights protest of notoriety was the Montgomery Bus boycott of 1955 lasted 13 months as a part of the Civil Rights movement until 1965. It took a decade for southern states to be forced to let Black people sit on the bus, eat at lunch counters, drink from water fountains and use bathrooms. Thankfully, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed in enough time for Martin Luther King Jr. to see some of his hard work and sacrifices pay off before his assassination and all of the rumors and claims surrounding it. Whether it has been about going to the same schools, living in the same neighborhoods or just sitting down, our existence as Black Americans has been one riddled with turmoil. Our battles on American soil go far beyond Federally recognized holidays so it's important that we remember what we did on this long road to "freedom" in America.

PictureWeebly Stock Image
Even as we drift into this present day, there are still protests for Black people in America to have basic human rights and not to be discriminated against. From the school to prison pipeline to the NFL kneeling protests being banned, there are attacks on our communities that have been codified, both old and new, that we excuse them or no longer recognize them for what they are or what they were originally intended to do. 

In 2018 the fight continues for Black Americans to be treated as human beings, to be provided access to the same resources, to be provided the same opportunities. In many ways we are still just as dependent on one another and our fighting spirit to thrive in a world that is set up for us to fail. So this Memorial Day remember those who fought and died so we can make fun of BBQ Becky for calling the police on us for doing nothing even though that very action still has the same deadly implications that it always has carried for Black Americans. Without them, we may not have been afforded the luxuries that we have today even though it's clear we would still have this same battle laid out at our feet. Happy Memorial Day. 

0 Comments

    RSS Feed

    COVID19 Shipping Updates

    Picture

    Author

    Bella Eiko is a single mother of a 2 boys, freelance journalist, foodie & Civil Rights activist that is dedicated to building a better world by increasing communication & applying positive changes to her everyday life. This endeavor includes educating both herself as well as her son about sustainable living and healthy alternatives to everyday products using practical application. 

    Categories

    All
    Acne Lotion
    Adhesive
    African Diaspora
    African Spirituality
    Age Spots
    Allergy
    Aloe Vera Gel
    Alopecia
    Analgesic
    Ancestor Altar
    Ancestors
    Ancestor Veneration
    Anti-aging
    Antibacterial
    Anti-Blackness
    Anti Infectious
    Anti-infectious
    Anti Inflammatory
    Anti-inflammatory
    Antioxidant
    Antiseptic
    Antispasmodic
    Antiviral
    Arrow Root
    Autonomy
    Avocado
    Bacterial Vaginosis
    Baking Soda
    Base
    Black Empowerment
    Black Feminism
    Black History
    Black Liberation
    Black Relationships
    Black Women
    Bleaching
    Blueberry
    Body Butter
    Body Cream
    Boundaries
    Burn
    BV
    Candida
    Capitalism
    Carpal Tunnel
    Carrot Seed
    Cellulite
    Coconut Oil
    Coffee
    Collagen
    Community
    Community Building
    Conditions
    Condoms
    Congestion
    Cramps
    Cultural Commentary
    Cultural Trends
    Cut
    Dark Spots
    DIY
    Domestic Violence
    Donation
    DV
    Economic Inequality
    Eczema
    Editorials
    Emotional Labor
    Empowerment
    Essential Oil
    Facial
    Family Planning
    Financial Freedom
    Fungal Treatment
    Fungus
    Gender Roles
    Generational Trauma
    Geranium
    Go-bag
    Go-bags
    Growth
    Hair
    Healing
    Herbs
    Historical Erasure
    Honey
    Hyperpigmentation
    Ifa
    Independence
    Infected Nail
    Infection
    Infused Oils
    Itching
    Joint Health
    Jojoba Oil
    Keratosis
    Labor
    Las Vegas
    Lavender
    Lemon
    Lost Mail
    Lotion
    Lucumi
    Mail
    Mango Butter
    Massage
    Melanin
    Melanin Production
    Melasma
    Memorial Day
    Mental Health
    Modern Love
    Mutual Aid
    Nail Infection
    Natural
    Nerve Pain
    Night Cream
    Oil
    Ointment
    Opinions
    Organic
    Pain Relief
    Partner Dynamics
    Peppermint
    Personal Growth
    Philanthropy
    Pillow
    Planned Parenthood
    Politics
    Pregnancy
    Pre Shipment
    Princess Treatment
    Privacy Policy
    Psoriasis
    Redness
    Regenerate
    Relationships
    Relief
    Removal
    Resilience
    Rest
    Return Policy
    Returns
    Rosacea
    Safenest
    Safe Nest
    Scars
    Self Care
    Self-Care
    Sensitive
    Shea Butter
    Shipping
    Shipping Policy
    Skin Bleach
    Skin Brightening
    Skincare
    Skin Texture
    Social Justice
    Soft Life
    Soy Wax
    Spices
    Spiritual Practices
    Sponsor
    Stolen Mail
    Stretch Marks
    Struggle Love
    Sunburn
    Sunscreen
    Sweet Almond Oil
    Symptoms
    Systemic Racism
    Tendinitis
    Terms
    Thieves
    Tracking
    Vitamin E Oil
    Wealth
    Women's Rights
    Wound
    Wrinkles
    Yeast Infection

    Archives

    December 2024
    November 2024
    November 2020
    September 2020
    March 2020
    September 2019
    August 2019
    May 2019
    January 2019
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    May 2017
    April 2017
    May 2015

    This website uses marketing and tracking technologies. Opting out of this will opt you out of all cookies, except for those needed to run the website. Note that some products may not work as well without tracking cookies.

    Opt Out of Cookies

We Would Love to Hear From You Soon!

Return & Shipping Policy
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions 

©Bella's Apothecary
848 N Rainbow Blvd #3235
Las Vegas NV 89107


Photos from Tools of Men, Bread for the World, {Guerrilla Futures | Jason Tester}
  • Home
  • Shop with Bella
  • Harmony Skin Brightening Special
  • Tame Your Beard - Tame Tangerine Special Offer
  • Bella's Corner
  • Manifestation Journal
  • Contact