[3][4][5] According to co-founder Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman, the goal of the initiative is "normalizing the fact that Black people exist in the birding and natural sciences community". From BirdWatchingDaily.com: Drew Lanham © Alexis Lanham. Lack of representation also has a chilling effect on the ability to enjoy the outdoors and nature. There’s a new initiative to boost the number of Black people studying the natural world. Follow the hashtag & @BlackAFinSTEM here and on Instagram. The week of events was organized by a group of STEM professionals and students known as the BlackAFinSTEM collective. The inaugural event ran from May 31 to June 5, 2020. Read on to see the special hashtags and events for each day. [16]The organisers intend to continue the series in future years. Black Birders Week and the new Twitter group have three main goals, says Newsome. It would be pretty cool to be this bird because it can wear a hood and not be threatened or persecuted or profiled for wearing it. 1 thought on “ Black Birders Week: A Step Towards a More Inclusive Birding and Science Community ” Linda July 21, 2020 at 2:17 pm. If you missed these discussions with young black birdwatchers and special guests Christian Cooper and J. Donate; Español. Happening the week of March 31 to June 5, Black Birders Week was featured by the Audubon Society and government agencies, including the U.S. By telling vivid, sound-rich stories about birds and the challenges they face, BirdNote inspires listeners to care about the natural world – and take steps to protect it. Fish and Wildlife Refuge System. [12] 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. Drew Lanham, wildlife conservationist Corina Newsome, National Audubon Society's government affairs coordinator Tykee James, and herpetologist and science communicator Earyn McGee. It’s Friday, June 5, and #BlackBirdersWeek has been a soaring success. Just four days after the encounter between a white dog walker and African American birdwatcher Christian Cooper, a group of approximately 30 Black scientists, birders, and outdoor explorers have created a new awareness campaign to encourage birding among more people of color. Black Birders Week takes flight. Its in response to … Please follow, support, and spread the word about #BlackBirdersWeek", "American Bird Conservancy is proudly supporting the inaugural #BlackBirdersWeek this week. English * Birdwatchers General People . DONATE; Search for: ABA Statement on Black Birders Week and Anti-Racism Efforts. Learn how you can participate in #BlackBirdersWeek starting Sunday 5/31! As much as I can sympathize with fellow birders who are people of color, they are not the only ones to have experienced the four bullet points above. It's not too late to follow the hashtags to celebrate and support the diversity of all those who enjoy birds", "#BlackBirdersWeek Aims to Raise Awareness, Grow Community", "Some 30 African American scientists, birders & others will host #BlackBirdersWeek starting Sunday. Tolga Aktas is a UK-based conservation biologist who participated in Black Birders Week. Social media feeds everywhere this week have been filled with hashtags such as #BirdingWhileBlack, #BlackInNature and #AskABlackBirder — a different one every day to show Black people taking back their place in nature. ", "Opening The Outdoors: Inaugural Black Birders Week", "Being black while in nature: 'You're an endangered species, "#BlackBirdersWeek Seeks To Make The Great Outdoors Open To All", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Black_Birders_Week&oldid=974767084, Environmental organizations based in the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 24 August 2020, at 22:04. NJ: Black Birders Week to me was created to show people that Black people in nature exist, that we love bird watching and STEM. Black Birders Week was announced on Twitter on May 29, 2020. BirdNote salutes Corina Newsome and co-organizers of the first #BlackBirdersWeek for raising awareness of the racism experienced by black birders — and encouraging diversity in birding and conservation. Please do not substitute this template. A group of approximately 30 black scientists, birders, and outdoor explorers are raising awareness of the black birding community and are encouraging new members. Starting May 31, organizers of the weeklong event aim to increase the visibility of black birders across the world in an effort to celebrate cultural diversity in the birding and naturalist communities. #BlackBirdersWeek, May 31 - June 5. Drew Lanham, BirdNote Presents: A Conversation with J. [27] The 2020 series was also highlighted by several science and popular media and news outlets including: CNN,[6] Forbes,[28] The Guardian,[29] Science,[30] Scientific American,[12] National Geographic,[31] Smithsonian magazine,[10] Audubon magazine,[1] Bird Watching magazine,[32] Sierra Club,[33] Backpacker magazine,[34] and NPR. Q: What impact has Black Birders Week had on you? [8][9] In addition to Opoku-Agyeman, other co-founders include Sheridan Alford, Danielle Belleny, Chelsea Connor, Joseph Saunders, and Tykee James. Corina invites everyone to "show the world, especially the next generation of young black birders and nature enthusiasts, that we exist, that they are welcome, and that this space belongs to them, too.”, Birding While Black: A Candid Conversation. News Black Birders Week: An Ode to Our Allies. Black Birders Week and Beyond. “Diversity is important for the robustness of any community trying to do anything,” she says in an interview with Audubon. [10][11], The event series ran from May 31 to June 5 using the #BlackBirdersWeek hashtag on Twitter and Instagram. The goal: to encourage birding among more people of color. Celebrate Black Birders Week starting May 31st by following along on social media. “I’ve shed a couple really happy tears. A group of like-minded Black scientists and nature enthusiasts virtually connected through a GroupME account created by Black birders Jason and Jeffrey Ward.Following the incident in Central Park with our colleague Christian Cooper, member Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman, pitched the idea of starting Black Birders Week.. Planning for the event began shortly … Black scientists and outdoor enthusiasts are sharing photos of themselves in the great outdoors in honor of #BlackBirdersWeek. [13][14], In response to the 2020 series, the National Wildlife Federation planned to dedicate part of their Conservation Fellowship and Intern Programs[15] to young biologists of color. [1] The event was created as a response to the Central Park birdwatching incident and police brutality against Black Americans. The event was created as a response to the Central Park birdwatching incident and police brutality against Black Americans. Black Birders Week. It's Time to Build a Truly Inclusive Outdoors, The Joys and Challenges of Exploring Nature While Black, The Importance of Black Birders Week and Its Lasting Impact, Five Key Lessons To Take Home From The First #BlackBirdersWeek, Birding While Black: Jason Ward On Central Park Video, Racism And His Passion For Birds, #BlackBirdersWeek Organizer Shares Her Struggles as a Black Scientist, Black Birders Call Out Racism, Say Nature Should Be for Everyone, Black Birders Week Promotes Diversity and Takes on Racism in the Outdoors, These Black Nature Lovers Are Busting Stereotypes, One Cool Bird at a Time, Activists Launch Black Birders Week Event On Social Media, With Liberty, Justice, and Wildness for All: A Plea to My Country, “How Am I Going to Be Perceived as a Black Man with Binoculars?” J. [17][18], The series was endorsed and promoted by advocacy groups, conservation organizations, and government agencies including: the National Audubon Society,[1] the American Birding Association,[19] the American Bird Conservancy,[20][21] the North American Association for Environmental Education,[22] the National Wildlife Refuge System,[23] the US National Park Service,[6] the California Coastal Commission,[24] Outdoor Afro,[25] Orion magazine,[26] and the Ecological Society of America. “Birds transcend what they are to being who they are. Through these events and others, the series highlighted research carried out by Black birders, the happiness they find in nature, the racism experienced, and the importance of inclusivity in the outdoors. In response to what happened to Christian, 30 Black birders, scientists, and outdoor enthusiasts joined together to form @BlackAFinStem and launch the first ever Black Birders Week. In Black Mammalogists Week, tackling inclusion in new taxa September 16, 2020 After TWS member Rhiannon Kirton, became involved in Black Birders Week, she noticed a … In response, Black birders, researchers, outdoor enthusiasts and others created #BlackBirdersWeek. Drew Lanham on Christian Cooper and Rules for the Black Birdwatcher, Nine New Revelations for the Black American Bird-Watcher, Rules for the Black Birdwatcher with J. In the wake of a confrontation and false accusation against Black birder Christian Cooper by a white dog walker in New York City, a group of Black scientists, birders, and nature enthusiasts came together on social media to create the first ever Black Birders Week. At the same time, recent events have imbued the inaugural Black Birders Week with even more meaning. Start This article has been rated as Start-Class on the project's quality scale. A white woman threatened a black man who was bird watching in the park when he tried to get the woman to leash her dog. J. On Sunday, organizers and participants celebrated Black … For Black birders, it was business as usual, putting the daily issues they face in the outdoors on the national stage. [3] The event also inspired other similar week-long events celebrating Black people in various STEM fields, #BlackInAstro week, #BlackBotanistsWeek", #BlackInNeuro, and #BlackInChem . It’s called Black Birders Week. The project is called #BlackBirdersWeek, and it will take place from Sunday, May 31, through Friday, … The response has been overwhelming. Black Birders Week is part of WikiProject Birds, an attempt at creating a standardized, informative and easy-to-use ornithological resource.If you would like to participate, visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks. In a now-infamous video exchange , a woman falsely accused Cooper of threatening violence and called the police after Cooper asked her to leash her dog. In the social and political tumult of the last week, it may have been easy to overlook a social media campaign celebrating black naturalists, and black birders in particular. The initiative seeks to interrupt stereotypes about who belongs in nature and science, and was prompted in part by the Central Park birdwatching incident. Hundreds of black birders, scientists and nature lovers are sharing pictures and stories of being outside and doing what they love. For Australian Magpies, Bigger Groups May Mean Bigger Brains. Black Birders Week is a social media campaign celebrating black naturalists, and black birders in particular. The first is “to counter the narrative that the outdoors are not the place Black people should be,” she says. Drew Lanham, we encourage you to listen now: Read the Twitter posts with these hashtags: For the latest #BlackBirdersWeek news, follow @BlackAFinSTEM on Twitter. [6][7], The week-long event was conceived and organized by members of a group of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals and students known as BlackAFinSTEM collective, founded by Jason Ward. [2][1] The initiative was prompted in part by the Central Park birdwatching incident and episodes of killings and police brutality against Black Americans such as Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. 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. Blacker Birders Week events included a celebration of black nature enthusiasts, a bird fact challenge, a Q&A with black birders, a livestreamed discussion called #BirdingWhileBlack, and a day highlighting black women involved with birding and ornithology. Just four days after the encounter between a white dog walker and African American birdwatcher Christian Cooper, a group of approximately 30 Black scientists, birders, and outdoor explorers have created a new awareness campaign to encourage birding among more people of color.. Black Birders Call Out Racism, Say Nature Should Be for Everyone. Why was Black Birders Week started? Image courtesy of birdwatchingdaily.com. Black Birders Week June 1, 2020 June 1, 2020 Marty Nicolaus 1 Comment Black Birders. What happened to Christian Cooper in Central Park could easily deter a young Black person interested in natural science and conservation from pursing those interests, she says. The inaugural Black Birders Week will inspire a new generation of birders and nature-lovers. Drew Lanham, Look Up: How Falconry Transformed a Family, Spark Bird, the First Robin of Spring, with Rasheena Fountain, Lester Franklin: Maryland Coastal Steward, Hooded Warbler © Greg LavatyDr. It’s called Black Birders Week. #BlackBirdersWeek, which began on May 31, has been a week-long event aimed to amplify Black people in every field and their experiences while outdoors. But the incident has sparked a new social media event called Black Birders Week. After the Christian Cooper incident, Ward helped organize an online series of events called Black Birders Week. Birds connect us with the joy and wonder of nature. Thank you, @JasonWardNY", "It's #BlackBirdersWeek and today's Q&A day! As Black birdwatcher Christian Cooper learned in New York City's Central Park, nature is seen as a white space and Black birdwatching as an aberration. The Twitter campaign, "Black Birders Week," runs from May 31 until June 5, with a different theme each day. It led into Black Birder’s Week.” The week has included black birders posting photos of themselves in nature, a Twitter chat called “Ask a black birder,” a day to highlight female birders, and a live discussion called “Birding While Black” on Facebook, hosted by the National Audubon Society. Black Birders Week is a week-long series of online events to highlight Black nature enthusiasts and to increase the visibility of Black birders, who face unique challenges and dangers when engaging in outdoor activities. It’s fully being itself in its habitat now. [6] Black people have historically been excluded from academic and professional spaces and lack visibility and representation in the natural sciences community and among birders in particular. /Lamar Gore, USFWS", "#BlackBirdersWeek aims to raise awareness, grow community", "It's Black Birders Week—Here's Why Celebrating Black Scientists and Naturalists Matters", "YES. [35], Campaign for diversity in birding, conservation, and the natural sciences, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, North American Association for Environmental Education, "Coming to your screens May 31st - June 5th #BlackBirdersWeek organised by #BlackAFinSTEM", "Black Birders Week responds to racism with a celebration of Black naturalists", "Viral video of Central Park 'Karen' Amy Cooper spawns #BlackBirdersWeek", "#BlackBirdersWeek highlights Black nature enthusiasts and scientists", "These Black nature lovers are busting stereotypes, one cool bird at a time", "Corina Newsome and the Black Birders Movement", "What is #BlackBirdersWeek and why does it matter", "#BlackBirdersWeek: Celebrating and Encouraging Diversity in Conservation", "A #BlackBirdersWeek cofounder aims to amplify black nature enthusiasts", "Black Birders Call Out Racism, Say Nature Should Be For Everyone", "#BecauseOfBlackBirdersWeek, the National Wildlife Federation is expanding its Conservation Fellowship", "Black In Neuro Week is coming to a timeline near you", "#BlackBirdersWeek, #BlackInNeuro: Black scientists, physicians are using hashtags to uplift", "This is an amazing initiative. Live-streamed discussions took place for a week in early June in which participants highlighted their joy of birding, the work they do, and the racism they have experienced. There is no place for racism in birding In response to the incident in New York involving birder Christian Cooper, and ongoing Black Lives Matter demonstrations in USA and worldwide – as well as in encouragement of the first #BlackBirdersWeek – BirdLife staff based in the UK, Senegal & Kenya voice their reflections and advice as birders. BirdNote salutes Corina Newsome and co-organizers of the first #BlackBirdersWeek for raising awareness of the racism experienced by black birders — and encouraging diversity in birding and conservation. Black Lives Matter + Nature Connection In solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and to respond to the call for predominantly non-black led organizations to take a break from filling up social media with our own content, we have decided to use our platform to amplify the voices of black naturalists this week. Black Birders Week is a week-long series of online events to highlight Black nature enthusiasts and to increase the visibility of Black birders, who face unique challenges and dangers when engaging in outdoor activities. Black birders in the campaign are using their passion and scientific knowledge to stand together against racism. The project is called #BlackBirdersWeek, and it will take place from Sunday, May 31, through Friday, June 5. Birders and bird researchers have declared this week as Black Birders Week. Drew Lanham, Behind the Binoculars: Birding with J. It can be perfectly at home where it is being who it is, without, in my mind, worrying about being a bird.