Celebrate #BlackBirdersWeek with online events • May 31 - June 5, 2020

Celebrate the inaugural #BlackBirdersWeek from May 31st-June 5th to celebrate black birders and nature explorers everywhere!

Use social media hashtags to participate and follow along in many inspiring stories straight from black birders and outdoor enthusiasts, while learning some exciting bird science:

Sunday, May 31: Kick off Black Birders Week with the hashtag #BlackInNature to celebrate black nature enthusiasts everywhere, showing what you love about nature and how you were introduced to it.

Monday, June 1: Participate in the #PostABird challenge. Include a fun fact about the bird you post. Your fact can range from folklore to weird biology!

Tuesday, June 2: Got a question about birds? #AskABlackBirder during a 2 hour Question & Answer session between 4 pm and 6 pm PST on Twitter.

Thursday, June 4: Get involved in a livestream discussion on Facebook at 9 am and 4 pm PST. There will be two candid conversations with a group of today's young black birdwatchers and special guests Christian Cooper and J. Drew Lanham. The panelists will share their stories of discovering birds and their unique experiences of #BirdingWhileBlack in America. Viewers may ask questions of the panelists through the live Facebook chat feature or on Twitter using the #BirdingWhileBlack hashtag. Discussion hosted by Brianna Amingwa and moderated by Ana Gifty.

Friday, June 5: After the inspiring events earlier in the week, you can continue to celebrate diversity in the outdoors by following #BlackWomenWhoBird.

Inaugural #BlackBirdersWeek from May 31 to June 5, 2020

On May 25, 2020 an incident occurred in New York's City's Central Park in an area popular with birdwatchers, called the Ramble. A video recording of the incident went viral on Twitter. The incident involved Christian Cooper, a black birder who is on the board of the New York City Audubon Society.

In response to that incident, the National Audubon Society issued the following statement on May 26, 2020:

“Black Americans often face terrible daily dangers in outdoor spaces, where they are subjected to unwarranted suspicion, confrontation, and violence,” said Audubon SVP for State Programs Rebeccah Sanders, who is white. “The outdoors – and the joy of birds – should be safe and welcoming for all people. That’s the reality Audubon and our partners are working hard to achieve. We unequivocally condemn racist sentiments, behavior, and systems that undermine the humanity, rights, and freedom of Black people. We are grateful Christian Cooper is safe. He takes great delight in sharing New York City’s birds with others and serves as a board member of the New York City Audubon Society, where he promotes conservation of New York City’s outdoor spaces and inclusion of all people.”