June 18, 2020 - Thursday. Van Jones Speaks

Van Jones, the writer, speaks about police brutality and George Floyd, in an excerpt I originally found on TaraBrach.com.n An exceptional piece, Van Jones talking about this miracle of the protests and reactions.  That a black man was murdered and everyone cares.  And the nuance around why that is a miracle.

I know much of my own need and desire to march, to protest, to share the Black Lives Matter slogan is that I want to physically show to the world that I do care, that I'm disgusted by the white supremacists. The presence of my body on the street, I think, means something. Actions matter.  I'm so worried about this nation's slide towards the acceptance and enactment of racism.  Thie ignorance of what racism is, how it operates, what the system does to all of us.

More from him: Van Jones (about) and  Rebuild the Dream

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The conversation continues -- with   More on Black Birders Week June 18 2020

 

 

 

http://vanjones.net/about/

https://www.youtube.com/user/rebuildthedream

June 9 2020 "Birds of North America" by Jason Ward

Jason Ward's  "Birds of North America"  --- check out his work, published well before the Cooper video went viral. Christian Cooper makes a few appearances in this episode, but there are many informative episodes in the series. Love the bird-nerdy talk, the trees, the great videos of the spotted birds, which helps my own process of identifying birds. And the shared knowledge of birding. Most excellent! 

Jason Ward "Birding While Black"

Interview from WBUR

https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/06/09/black-birder-racism-cooper

June 5 2020 - Black Birders Week!

Pretty sure you have heard of the infamous Cooper Incident in Central Park, in which Christian Cooper, a black naturalist, asked Amy Cooper, a white woman (no relationship) to leash her dog, as required in that part of the park, so as to not disturb the birds he was observing. The white woman couldn't believe that he was just observing birds and threatened him and his personal safety by calling the cops. This is not an isolated risk for black scientists conducting field research.

And so, Carina Newsome and other black scientists  organized Black Birders Week. Running from May 31 - June 4, this is to educate the non-POC folks about the risks and dangers black birders and other field scientists encounter just trying to do their job or follow their interests; enjoy their love of the outdoor world, pursue a hobby: birding, jogging, geology.

Check out all the links to learn more --

BlackAFinStem - Instagram ....The Source 

Various Interviews and Articles

From the Short Wave Podcast (NPR's daily science podcast) - Black Birders Week https://www.npr.org/transcripts/869052336

Interview with Corina Newsome (co-founder of Black Birders Week)

BlackAFinSTEM ...Nature on PBS

Higher Ed Black Birders Week

Science Magazine: Organizer Shares Her Struggles as Black Scientist

Audubon.org - Black Birders Week

"Pelicanology" from the podcast Ologies by Alie Ward - with links to other Black Scientist groups.