The likelihood that someone would make a false police report against me while I was birding

is zero

Of the things I account for when going outside, being assaulted because of my skin color never crosses my mind.

Many of our colleagues cannot say that, and yet we talk about diversity and inclusion without ever addressing the real issue of racism being in the fucking woods.

Because of my white privilege, I didn’t realize for a long time that this is a common likelihood for my BIPOC colleagues. I was/am sorry to realize that because I talk about making our field diverse and inclusive, but how is that possible when we don’t account for this?

Regardless of career field or hobby, though:

Instead of white people just stating “being Black isn’t a crime!”, we need to acknowledge (and ID) how many of us actually think that it is. To make any space safe for BIPOC, we need more action than speaking for our own image.

I’m not an expert here and you should not amplify my voice over the Black community speaking on the video, but this is something white birders, white outdoor enthusiasts, white biologists, and white people need to account for. Our privilege is why we need to listen/look/speak up.