Enhancing Plantstagram's Color Palette with the Help of @blackmenwithgardens
In the vibrant world of horticulture, a new artform has emerged, blending discarded relics from consumerist society with living elements. This innovative approach was discovered by an individual who first ignited their passion for plants in 2017, while painting a crest surrounded by flowers.
The transformation of ordinary spaces into oases of beauty and peace through home gardening has been a beacon of hope and tranquillity for many. However, it has also highlighted a stark reality – the lack of representation of underrepresented communities in the gardening sphere.
One compelling example of this is the disparity in the visibility of gardening content created by Black creators. A user's viewing of a video featuring a white gardener was followed by a cascade of gardening videos, while a video by a Black creator was followed by posts on police brutality. This stark contrast underscores the need for change.
Jasmine, the creator of @Blackgirlswithgardens, and Nelson ZePequeno have taken up the mantle to redefine the image of a plant-lover and build larger platforms for underrepresented communities. They discovered a thriving online plant community through Instagram hashtags and have been advocating for change ever since.
Nelson ZePequeno suggests that the largest impact users can make online to promote underrepresented voices and challenge biased narratives is by engaging with and sharing content created by People of Colour (POC). He also provides a list of accounts that focus on spotlighting underrepresented communities or offer fresh perspectives on everyday topics, hobbies, and industries.
Historically, people of colour have been the farmers and gardeners, yet they couldn't visualise a flower in the online plant community. Black gardeners are often associated with irrelevant content, leading to decreased visibility and a perception that they are not involved in gardening.
The individual who first discovered the lack of colour in popular plant-related hashtags struggled to accurately paint plants due to a lack of knowledge. They developed their own unique style of floral design and made attempts to have their gardening pictures and videos featured on plant lover accounts, but received no response.
The algorithm seems to prioritise race over subject matter when a Black content creator posts gardening content combined with plant-based hashtags. A picture of a dog with plants is more likely to get reposted than a picture of a Black man with plants. This unfair treatment is evident in the fact that accounts run by people of colour never seem to make it to the "Top" explorer results on Instagram, even when they have large, engaged followings.
Despite these challenges, initiatives like "Black Men With Gardens" aim to change the image of Black men in gardening and increase their representation on social media. However, no publicly available information or verifiable German-language sources identify specific individuals or groups associated with this initiative.
The journey to empower underrepresented communities in the gardening world is a long one, but with advocates like Jasmine, Nelson ZePequeno, and many others, it is a journey worth taking. By supporting and amplifying the voices of underrepresented creators, we can help to create a more inclusive and diverse gardening community.
