Monday’s theme is the #PostABird Challenge, with a prompt to share a bird image or fact. Within days, the group had 30,000 followers on Twitter. Within days, a group of #BlackAFinSTEM organizers had come up with a whole week's worth of ways to support and encourage the Black birding community. Today is June 4, 2020. They don't talk about Black ranchers.". This idea that Black people somehow don't belong in the outdoors fuels even more fear. All of this experience, and Troutman says people have still occasionally looked at him with doubt. The movement's organizers are hoping this visibility, this skeleton key, leads organizations and leaders in the field to pursue cultural and policy changes that open up these white-dominated disciplines. And in a field where Black people aren't visible or are excluded, mentorship is everything. … Sparked by a racist incident last week in Central Park, the new initiative aims to boost recognition and representation of Black people enjoying and studying the natural world. If everyone has had the same life experiences, you're less likely to have the solution to a problem.". By Jillian Mock Reporter, Audubon Magazine. I didn’t know there were so many of us. Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman, center, with former Chair of the Federal Reserve Janet Yellen. Donations are encouraged and can be made online: Donate Today! But even then, it didn't occur to him that the life he would eventually have -- one filled with turtle rescues and birds of prey and a wealth of wildlife knowledge -- was possible. A group of Black scientists, birders, and outdoor explorers organized the campaign to celebrate Black people in the outdoors and birders specifically. Dreamers, Black people, and LGBTQIA+ people are also bird lovers, sc... ientists, and conservationists—their contributions to protect birds are important. While getting people hooked on birds is definitely a goal of Black Birders Week, there's a lot more at stake. Just last week, on May 25, Cooper’s right to safely go birding in public was threatened—one of a recent string of incidents that exposed inequalities that Black people face in America. That connection between people and place also affects people's wellbeing -- the water they drink, the air they breathe. And the lenses of race, nature, and the environment are inextricably linked, meaning the diversity of the natural sciences could affect the very future of the Earth. The National Audubon Society had live-streamed two panels, featuring Newsome, Cooper, and other distinguished birders, to its 1.5 million followers. On Tuesday is the #AskABlackBirder event, with a two-hour Q&A with Black birders on Twitter from 7pm to 9 pm ET, followed up with the #BirdingWhileBlack livestream discussions on Thursday, from 12pm-1:30pm ET and from 7pm-8:30pm ET. After a white woman called police on a black man birding in New York City, a group of black scientists got together to create Black Birder Week. Troutman considers himself one of the lucky ones. Paper Magazine: "Look out for #BlackBirdersWeek on Your Timeline" 6/1 /2020. Visit your local Audubon center, join a chapter, or help save birds with your state program. The group has three goals that don’t stop after the week of activism, says Tykee James, a Black Birders Week organizer and the National Audubon Society’s government affairs coordinator. Black birders encounter overt hatred and racism in the field and are too often the only Black person, or person of color, in a group of bird or nature enthusiasts. Audrey and Frank Peterman want any and everyone to get outside and get involved in the environmental movement. The National Audubon Society is supporting the initiative by co-hosting the #BirdingWhileBlack livestream conversation on Facebook on Thursday at 5pm MT, 7 pm ET. She grew up in Philadelphia, loving nature and animals, and assuming that, among the Steve Irwins and Jeff Corwins of the world, the only professional path for someone like her was to become a veterinarian. Pumpkin Bird Feeder Makes a Happy Harvest For Birds, To Help Birds This Winter, Go Easy on Fall Yard Work, Learn to Identify Five Owls by Their Calls, The Woods Are My Safe Haven—But That's Not True for Everyone. “The views expressed in user comments do not reflect the views of Audubon. He grew up outside of Atlanta searching for salamanders in the stream that ran through his backyard. Katherine Arntzen/Georgia Southern University, Last Friday morning, four days after a video of a, With this speech, Newsome, a biology graduate student at Georgia Southern University who studies Seaside Sparrows, announced the first ever Black Birders Week. Audubon celebrates diversity and condemns racism. Legal Notices Privacy Policy Contact Us. “We can’t even organize for one Black trauma before another one happens,” the group tweeted on Sunday, explaining that while the Central Park incident inspired Black Birders Week, it’s also a response to the recent killings of Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor. The third goal is to encourage increased diversity in birding and conservation. The northern crested caracara. When the woman, Amy Cooper, declined, Christian Cooper began filming. Spread the word. It's what changed Newsome's perception of her potential. National Audubon Society: "‘Black Birders Week’ Promotes Diversity and Takes on Racism in the Outdoors " 5/29/2020 A lot has happened recently, including police brutality against Black people, its attempted use as a weapon against Christian Cooper, a long-time Central Park fixture who is a Black birder, … Black Birders Week opened up a new network for me. The Audubon Society, the National Park Service and countless other organizations have boosted their work, introducing social media to a whole realm of cool birds and new discoveries -- and new faces that challenge and change science stereotypes. "It's very easy for me to get cynical with a bunch of friends and stamp out or overlook or minimize any progress we've had or any momentum that we've gained," says James. The organizers, a group of Black scientists, nature lovers, and friends, say this event will be the first of many—a springboard to shape a more diverse future for birding, conservation, and the natural sciences. "It's not that I actively thought zookeeping was for white people or that it wasn't for me. “For far too long, Black people in the United States have been shown that outdoor exploration activities are not for us,” she said, standing before a backdrop of lush spring foliage. “We all have this shared experience where we have to worry about going into the field,” says Earyn McGee, a herpetology Ph.D. student at the University of Arizona and Black Birders Week co-organizer. The value is immesurable. Photo: Howard Arndt/Audubon Photography Awards, Great Egret. Corina Newsome calls it a gateway bird, the one special species that sets an avian enthusiast on a lifetime course of discovery and environmental passion. It's just where my mind placed it in the understanding of my world.". , or person of color, in a group of bird or nature enthusiasts. "The importance is normalizing the fact that Black people exist in the birding and natural sciences community," says. He and his brothers, father and uncle would go fishing on the weekends. “I’m probably the most excited about the livestream because it’s not often you get to see this kind of panel discussing this kind of topic,” McGee says. Diversity is its own benefit, a concept proven in disciplines from genetics to, well, economics and natural sciences. Newsome announced the event on Twitter on Friday, as well as unveiling a new Twitter account, @BlackAFinSTEM, to unite and build a community of Black scientists. pic.twitter.com/SQOjaMKNX6. Furthermore, the series drew attention to several Black birders and naturalists, including Birds of North America''s host Jason Ward, wildlife biologist and author J. Starting Sunday and running through this Friday, Black Birders Week includes five days of virtual events (none are scheduled for Wednesday), with each day featuring its own theme and Twitter hashtag, allowing participants to connect with one another, post pictures, and ask questions from anywhere in the world. McGee conducts research near the U.S.-Mexico border and worries about encountering U.S. Border Patrol on her own while searching for lizards. This Couple Has Been Working for 20 Years to Fix It. It's about the very well being of Black and brown people now, and all people of future generations. Dreamers and LGBTQIA+ people, congratulations on the Supreme Court victories this week. The. Along the way, she also became a passionate bird enthusiast and advocate for children from underprivileged backgrounds who want to pursue their interests in animals and nature. '", Environmental advocate and podcast host Tykee James. There is a connection between birds and people and place.". 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