There are two special populations represented in The Secret Life of Bees: African Americans and women. August, June and May Boatwright as well as Rosaleen are all African American women. Other main characters such as Lily Owens and Zach Taylor belong to a particular population, but not both. As this film is set in South Carolina in 1964 with a predominantly African-American cast, racism will certainly be a central theme. The secret life of bees makes the idea of ​​racism illogical. Each of the Boatwright sisters, Rosaleen, Zach, and the minor African-American characters are depicted with a dignity that was reserved only for Caucasians at that time. Although Lily's racism does not manifest in the same way as the men who harass her housekeeper, Rosaleen, at her home, she is still prejudiced at the beginning of the film, Lily simply assumes that not all African Americans are not educated because that's how Rosaleen is; however, she soon learns that this is not the case. The Boatwright sisters prove to be just as unique and smarter, strong, and bolder than anyone she knows. Another theme present in the film is the importance of the female community. Throughout the film, the audience continually sees women together – to heal, to grow stronger, and to learn to forgive and love. Each of the women is fierce and strong in their own way. Despite May Boatwright's suicide, we still saw courage in her. Community is essential for women; it gives us the freedom to be who we truly are and to feel loved and protected. It is also worth noting that the hives tended by August, Lily, and Zach serve as a parallel to the community established by August. Hives are female-dominated structures in which a queen bee is the mother...... middle of paper ...... these two special populations have always existed but have been ignored by the majority. Works cited Collica, K. (2010). Surviving incarceration: Two prison peer programs create communities of support for female offenders. Deviant Behavior, 31(4), 314-347. doi:10.1080/01639620903004812Duman, N. and Kocak, C. (2013). The effect of social support on state anxiety levels during pregnancy. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 41(7), 1153-1163. doi:10.2224/sbp.2013.41.7.1153Morales, A., Sheafor, B.W., & Scott, M.E. (2012). Social work: a profession with many faces. (12th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Pantell, M., Rehkopf, D., Jutte, D., Syme, S., Balmes, J. and Adler, N. (2013). Social isolation: a predictor of mortality comparable to traditional clinical risk factors. American Journal of Public Health, 103(11), 2056-2062. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2013.301261)