Common Merganser / Earl Blackaby / Seattle Audubon – Seattle Times Photo Contest
Anti-Racism Resources List
In June of 2020, the Seattle Audubon Board of Directors approved our new strategic plan, Cities at the Center. The plan identified a specific goal and action plan to support and increase Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) leadership at Seattle Audubon. This goal centers our commitment to understanding and eradicating structural racial inequity at every level of our work. Critical first steps in this process must involve listening and learning, both as individuals and as an organization.
As a precursor to formal trainings, Seattle Audubon’s Equity & Justice Committee has prepared a curated list of anti-racism resources for self-guided learning to share with our community. We hope that members of our community of all races will find many of these resources helpful. We particularly urge white members of the Seattle Audubon community to utilize this resource list, because the nature of systemic racism and white privilege allows white people to avoid thinking critically about race, racism, and whiteness. Engaging with these learning resources will give you the analytical tools necessary to be part of Seattle Audubon’s efforts to identify and dismantle systems of oppression in our organization and community, and to actively work toward an anti-racist future. We invite you to join us in this important and necessary work in two ways: 1) using the list, and 2) improving the list.
Suggestions for using the list:
- As an individual: Consider where you are in your own anti-racism journey as you approach the list and think about your learning style to choose where best to begin. Remember, even those with more exposure to these topics can benefit from a review of the “101” resources.
- As a community: You do not need to be a part of a formal group of volunteers at Seattle Audubon to benefit from these resources. Informal book clubs or discussion groups with friends can spark deep introspection and motivate change.
Help us strengthen the list:
- Let us know if any important resource is missing.
- Provide feedback on the resources already included.
- Share how you’d like to be supported in using the list.
Sincerely,
The Seattle Audubon Equity & Justice Committee
Names Are Power: Let’s Talk About Decolonizing Bird Names
The moment is ripe to not only topple eponymous names, but to include more indigenous knowledge in the global conversation about birds. In a time of shifting power dynamics, the act of naming is a form of power.
A Rosy-Finch by any other name—sweeter without eponyms
On July 8, 2021 the Seattle Audubon Society Board of Directors affirmed its support for “Birds Names for Birds” and joined the call to put an end to the practice of eponymous naming.
Seattle Audubon Statement of Solidarity with Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities
Seattle Audubon condemns the growing wave of violence and hateful rhetoric against Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) individuals and communities. To our many AAPI community members: You are seen, you are valued, and you belong here.