Anyone who follows my column knows how I feel about birding. I discovered the joys and beauty of birding while sheltering in Delaware with family during the pandemic, the summer of 2020. On my solo walks to get exercise and not go stir crazy doing work, I would walk around the neighborhood and notice the colorful (and chatty) birds of the northeast.
There was so much bird drama each day, eggs being stolen, lovers’ quarrels, local fights over nests, the list goes on. So, imagine my surprise when I discovered an entire community of Black Birders who love the outdoors, communing with friends in nature, strapping on binoculars, and discovering the wondrous world of diverse birds.
Black Birders Week began in 2020 and is comprised of activities across the country for birding enthusiasts to meet one another and spend time in nature. It’s a way for novices and experienced birders to meet and connect the modern-day trials and triumphs to larger themes in nature… and in our lives, individually and collectively. It’s for scientists and activists and conservationists and nature lovers of all ages to find time to celebrate birds, Blackness, and the seen and unseen bonds between them all.
Black Birders Week runs May 24-May 30 and the theme is “Flyways and Freedom: Advocacy, Action, and the Future.” As the Black AF in Stem Collective noted on their website, “This year, we turn our gaze to the horizon and the paths that connect us all. We are not just standing our ground; we are tracing the ancient flyways of migration, movement, and resilience…It is a continuation of a movement that centers Black joy, liberation, and collective power in the outdoors.”
As a political scientist, there are so many ways to think about this incredibly robust theme. As the rights of Black people and so many citizens and non-citizens are being retracted, it is imperative that we connect our natural world to the broader world and themes around us. It is by understanding the collective action of birds and their quest for freedom that we can move much closer to our own.
If you would like to know more about Black Birders Week, check out www.blackafinstem.com. They will be updating the website with events and updates leading up to May 24th.
Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University; author of the books “How to Build a Democracy: From Fannie Lou Hamer and Barbara Jordan to Stacey Abrams” and “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream”; and co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC.
