I’m so happy to see all the support that #BlackBirdersWeek is getting! I may not be a birder however I am a Black woman who does fieldwork. I am a Black woman who is a nature enthusiast.

I am a Black woman who walks around her neighborhood searching for lizards with a pre-rehearsed speech in the back of her head, “ Hello officer, I was not casing this house. I’m a herpetologist who runs #FindThatLizard on Twitter. I was only taking a picture of the lizard.

I’m a grad student at the UA here are some people who can vouch for me. “

When I’m out doing fieldwork I can’t accidentally walk on the wrong persons land for fear of losing my life.

I have extra anxiety about border patrol interactions when my white colleagues aren’t with me because I know that I’m seen as “other.”

BlackBirdersWeek is to recognize that Black outdoors folk, including birders, though underrepresented do exist. We want to celebrate each other.

But we also want our non-Black, our white colleagues especially, to acknowledge the extra baggage we have to bring with us. We want our colleagues to actively work to lighten the load by dismantling systematic racism and white supremacy at home and in the work place.

What are you going to do to make the Outdoors a place that’s safe for everyone besides just saying it’s so?
#BlackBirdersWeek #BlackLivesMatter #BlackAFinSTEM #BlackandSTEM #science #sciencecommunication #scicomm #diversity #equity #inclusion #dothework