ASCM is committed to building an inclusive and equitable organization that represents our whole community. As a chapter of the National Audubon Society, we believe that protecting the natural world for everyone means welcoming and celebrating everyone’s contributions.

We also understand that the conservation field has long excluded individuals and communities of diverse backgrounds, and that much work remains to dismantle White supremacy, repair harms, and build trust. And we believe and hope that if anything can unite people around these goals, it is a shared love of birds and the natural world.

At ASCM, we are committed to diversifying our board, volunteers, and program participants, to supporting initiatives where environmental advocacy and racial justice intersect, and to building a welcoming community where everyone feels safe and supported. We also pledge transparency about these commitments.

If you have any questions, or would like to be part of this effort, please contact board president Angela Moxley.

Response to Politico Article on National Audubon

It was deeply disheartening to read a Politico article that alleges National Audubon Society is falling far short of its aspirations to establish an anti-racist workplace where women and people of color are treated with full respect.

We look to Patterson Park Audubon’s statement on equity, diversity, and inclusion that is reflective of ASCM’s values. “Just as biodiversity strengthens ecosystems, human diversity strengthens our communities and makes our work – to protect birds and the habitats we share – more powerful.” This aspiration needs to be put into action throughout the Audubon conservation community.

We also thank National Audubon for acknowledging that their EDI efforts have fallen far short, and urgently need to be addressed. The statement by Audubon board chair Maggie Walker in response to the Politico article offers encouraging steps to improve the workplace environment, including the hiring of an ombudsperson and the creation of a staff council. Most important, an outside company has been hired to assess the organization’s culture, practices, and policies. We look forward to learning the results of that key assessment.

Statement in Support of Bird Names for Birds

ASCM supports the efforts of Bird Names For Birds to transform the process of naming birds. This involves replacing all English common bird names with names that have been agreed upon by all stakeholders, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. This initiative is one important step toward making birding inclusive and welcoming for all.

Even as we support this campaign, we recognize the problems inherent in the names of our national organization and chapter, which honor John James Audubon, an individual who enslaved Black people, perpetuated White supremacist culture, and contributed to scientific racism.

Bird names that honor Audubon must be among those that are reexamined, and we support National Audubon Society's condemnation of Audubon's racism and its commitment to publicly reassess his biography.

As historian Gregory Nobles wrote, "Audubon didn’t create the National Audubon Society, but he remains part of its identity. As much as we celebrate his environmental legacy, we need to grapple with his racial legacy. If we could train our binoculars on history, now is the time to do so."

Writes Dr. J. Drew Lanham, "The organizations bearing Audubon’s name must press forward in this new light and decide who and what they want to be."

Resources for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Birding

There is much to learn about the history of racism and exclusion in birding and how we can move forward. These resources will get you started.

Dr. J. Drew Lanham’s keynote address from the 2017 Audubon Convention

Audubon CEO David Yarnold’s message to Audubon staff after George Floyd’s murder

National Audubon Society’s statement on racism experienced by a birder in Central Park

National Audubon’s resources on equity, diversity, and inclusion

Your Silence Will Not Protect You by Audre Lord

Black Nature edited by Camille Dungy

Amplifying Diverse Voices

Love of birds, nature, and wildlife photography can unite people from all backgrounds. Diversify your Instagram feed by following the accounts:

@adamceae

@backyard_basecamp

@birdability

@birdguyperry

@birdingdespitedisability

@birdnames4birds

@birdsfund

@blackafinstem

@blackbirderjames

@brianchitundu

@feministbirdclub

@hoodnaturalist

@ikesbirdinghikes

@keisha_trails

@nicky.j10

@sceneandheard

@the_elusive_black_birder

@tykeejames

@wildandincolor