Dear friends,
We as an organization are astonished, enraged, and deeply saddened by recent social and political events that have brought to greater light the toxic, systemic racism in the United States. The list of its victims keeps getting longer — George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor are only the tip of the iceberg when naming black lives that have fallen to underlying discrimination and hate — and our hearts ache for every person affected by these atrocities.
As a conservation organization with a mission to connect birds and people for the benefit of both, the awful experience Christian Cooper had the morning of May 28 while birdwatching in Central Park is an illustration that racism exists everywhere, it affects virtually every social and interpersonal structure, and it absolutely exists in the great outdoors.
Environmental justice is social justice.
Access to and enjoyment of the natural world, especially as we fight so hard to preserve and protect what we have, is for everyone.
On May 28, when Christian Cooper was in New York City’s Central Park, he calmly and politely asked Amy Cooper (no relation), a white woman, to leash her dog in an area where dogs were required to be leashed. Amy responded with, “I’m going to call the police and tell them there’s an African American man threatening my life.”
Mr. Cooper recalls, “What was unsettling (and also annoying) was immediately knowing the cops were coming for me, to check me out, for watching woodpeckers peck! I made the connection right away because I saw the disturbed look on the white woman’s face: a look you know only if you have been the target; a look that says, “You don’t belong here”; a look of disgust, of scorn; a look of entitlement — a look of madness, really.”
I wanted to say how sorry I am to Mr. Cooper after reading his brief reflection on that experience. I hope he is able to experience belonging while in nature, while appreciating the woodpecker’s diligent tree drilling.
On behalf of Michigan Audubon and birders everywhere, you belong here.
To every birder of color: you belong here.
To every environmentalist of color: you belong here.
To every conservationist of color: you belong here.
To every nature enthusiast of color: you belong here.
To every person of color: you belong here.
This week is #BlackBirdersWeek. Please learn more about this initiative, support it, and spread the word.
I would be remiss right now to not pay homage to the well-known teacher, writer, ecologist, birder, and activist, J. Drew Lanham, whose video Rules for the Black Birdwatcher in 2015 called attention to the painful, unfortunate realities of racism and discrimination in the birding world.
Michigan Audubon does not condone racism or discrimination of any type. Just as ecosystems rely on intrinsic biodiversity in order to thrive, social systems also thrive and can better achieve balance and equality with a diversity of people, generations, and perspectives.
Each and all of us have a responsibility to be part of the solution by listening to and learning from one another, asking difficult questions and having even more difficult conversations, self-examining and determining how we can be a part of change.
I often end my messages by sincerely thanking you (our members, supporters, colleagues, and friends) for caring about birds and for translating your appreciation into a lifestyle and decisions that support birds and their habitats. Today, I’m thanking you for pausing to consider how you can do your part — maybe even in the birding world itself. For many of us, it is our connection to birds and the natural world that activates, nourishes, inspires, teaches, recharges, sustains us. Let’s use it to empower us.
Yours sincerely,
Heather Good
Executive Director