In Port Arthur, TX—a Gulf Coast community ravaged by hurricanes, floods, and industrial pollution that disproportionately impacts its predominantly Black residents—Billy Kelley is inspiring middle schoolers to see science as their pathway to change. Once terrified of bees after a childhood wasp attack, Kelley discovered his calling through Dr. Thomas Rinderer, an internationally recognized bee expert who urged him to try beekeeping. Now drawing from his seven years as the only Black bee specialist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Kelley founded Billy Bees to show Jefferson County youth that environmental science is one avenue to address the climate hazards plaguing their neighborhoods. In a city where fenceline communities face unemployment exceeding 27%, his mission proves the next generation of scientists can emerge from communities most needing solutions.
Billy Kelley in full bee gear as he tends to bees in Port Arthur, Texas. (Photos courtesy of Hilton Kelley)
When Kelley moved back to Port Arthur after his career as a bee specialist in Baton Rouge, word got out of his expertise, and the calls started coming in from people who wanted to hire Kelley to remove bee hives and wasp nests from their properties. For a fee and a request to keep the combs, honey and bees he removed, Kelley had found yet another career. But the “only black guy” part of his old USDA job still stuck with him. So, when his brother, Hilton Kelley, asked him to share his knowledge of bees as an environmental component of Hilton’s nonprofit organization, Community In Power and Development Association, Kelley jumped at the chance to share what he views as a unique educational experience. Kelley has since branched out to form his own organization. Although he has limited bee gear at the moment, Kelley is forging ahead, already attracting students, approaching the school district to formalize the program and seeking funds to buy more equipment.