BLACK LIVES MATTER:  Birding While Black Archive

Birding While Black - Black Lives Matter. 

Black birder Christian Cooper’s May 2020 cell phone video showing a white woman calling 911 to report he was threatening her and her dog (which was not true) went viral – and it ignited a spate of discussions, articles, videos, and news items about how systemic racism plays out in birding. 

Thanks to a Black member of the KBC who had asked that we show and discuss Cooper’s video at our June 2020 meeting, our club began to address how systemic racism impacts the experience of birding for people of color - and how we might respond to make BIPOC individuals welcome in the birding community. 

We created this archive - of the video presentations, articles, and facebook posts that KBC members viewed during this time.  Become informed by them and join us in our work to become a welcoming community.

We have begun partnering with Black-led organizations and are working on creating a welcoming environment for  Black, Brown, Asian, LGBTQ, Differently-Abled, and all groups of people who may not have felt welcome in our birding community in the past so that all may enjoy birding.

Items in this list are not strictly in chronological order, but newer additions are at the end of the list

The Realities of Being A Black Birdwatcher - the racial incident in Central Park that sparked a movement
https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/27/us/birdwatching-black-christian-cooper/index.html?fbclid=IwAR3V53I9pf2QOpKy8gOPKXTIdRo-x4qvEKjGJskKgf9iyma5gVOaPscxEek
 
Chris Cooper Is My Brother. Here’s Why I Posted His Video.  We grew up in a family of activists. I wanted everyone to see his calm bravery.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/31/opinion/chris-cooper-central-park.html?smid=em-share

NPR podcast on Birding While Black
https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/takeaway/segments/birdwatching-while-black
 
Guide to Birding and Enjoying the Outdoors – from #blackbirderweek
https://www.instagram.com/p/CA5uKKapSmo/?igshid=176i2tud2a3zx
https://twitter.com/BlackAFinSTEM
https://www.instagram.com/blackafinstem/

A story about Corina Newsome, one of the co-founders of #BlackBirdersWeek - from The Philadelphia Inquirer

Corinna Newsome, co-founder of #BlackBirderWeek - a story from New Yorker Magazine

What's Next in Black Birding? - from PBS
​
A Moment of Reflections…and Determination - From National Audubon Society

Being Seen and Heard During Black Birder Week – Nicole Jackson, former Clevelander, environmental educator in Columbus

Free Binoculars for Black Birders
 
Black Birders Week: An Ode to Our Allies - from LA Audubon

Black People Bird: Our Strength and Stories - from LA Audubon

Nature as Resistance - by Rue Mapp, Founder of Outdoor Afro

Corinna Newsome, co-founder of #BlackBirderWeek - a story from New Yorker Magazine

A Conversation with Derrick Jackson, Hog Island Instructor re #BlackBirderWeek

The Importance of Inclusiveness and Diversity in Birding, Keynote presentation at Audubon Convention in Utah 2017, by Drew Lanham, PhD - author, ornithologist, and professor of ecology and conservation at Clemson University

Drew Lanham: Hope Is the Thing With Feathers - on YouTube

Collinwood's Teenage Bird Nerds - on WKYC Channel 5

Birding for Everyone - Former Clevelander, Black birder and environmental educator Nicole Jackson in conversation with John Robinson, author of “Birding for Everyone: Encouraging People of Color to Become Birdwatchers" - on YouTube

A story on wildlife biologist Danielle Belleny, another one of the founders of #BlackBirdersWeek

Christian Cooper's Disney Birding Series - The infamous Black Birder of Central Park will be sharing his adventures with a wider audience

Nature helped Nicole Jackson see possibilities over trauma; today she helps others do the same - former Clevelander, founder of NHerNature.com, on the Children and Nature Network - March 2023