Black birders have never been safe or celebrated
Most birding institutions and clubs discount Black participants, either through their whiteness or inaccessibility. (National Park Service /)Jacqueline L. Scott is a PhD student in Social Justice Education at the University of Toronto. This story originally featured on The Conversation.Birdwatching is open to all. Unless you are Black.This is the message Christian Cooper received as he was birding in New York City’s Central Park last week. When Cooper asked a white woman to obey the posted signs regarding off-leash dogs, she called the police, claiming that her life was being threatened by an African American man. Christian Cooper filmed the encounter, which his sister posted online. It went viral, resulting in the woman being fired from her job.There are different ways of looking at the encounter in the park.Birding is one of the most popular nature-based activities in Canada. About a quarter of adults spend time watching, feeding or photographing...