Girlhood Unfiltered a collection of essays exploring perceptions of black girls
Milk Honey Bees’ new book Girlhood Unfiltered is an empowering collection of essays written by a group of teenage girls, exploring adultification and discriminatory perceptions of black girls, writes Molly Pavord.
Milk Honey Bees is a Brixton based organisation founded by Ms Iyere to give a sense of solidarity to young black women, and prioritise issues of healing, empowerment and resilience.
Ms Iyere has faced countless difficulties with education and housing after having left home at 15, but defied the odds stacked against her by securing a scholarship to study Criminology and Youth Studies at university.
These challenges guided her on her path to helping other young people in her community.
She said: “I am trying to make sure that black girls are visible, heard and respected in all elements of society, whether it be them integrating with the education system, the workplace or walking on the street.
Essentially, the message behind Milk Honey Bees is that we will see, hear and protect black girls.
The organisation was founded when Ms Iyere met 16-year-old Disnee, and saw her younger self in the mirror.
At this meeting a sisterhood was born which now extends to a wider group of young girls, mostly between the ages of 13-18.
Speaking on the changes she would like to see, Ms Iyere added: “Another change I’d like to see is giving black girls a voice to be able to express themselves free from judgment. I want them to be understood for who they are in the education system rather than how they present.”
Rupi Kaur, writer of the poetry collection Milk and Honey, which inspired the group’s name, said: “Their powerful writing will give rise to countless others, which is why I’m excited for the world to read their words.”
Pictured: Milk Honey Bees is a Brixton-based organisation Picture: Aashfaria A. Anwar
