New York City Audubon Society drops controversial name in hopes of connecting with more diverse community
NEW YORK -- The New York City Audubon Society is dropping its controversial name after nearly 40 years.
The organization recently voted to drop "Audubon" from its name, following concerns the racist legacy of the 19th Century naturalist and illustrator John James Audubon is holding the group back from reaching a broader -- and more diverse -- community.
Audubon was a well-known naturalist who rose to fame through paintings he created of wild birds in the 1820s and '30s. But he also owned, sold and bought slaves and held racist views against Black and Indigenous people.
"Once you know about John James Audubon's past, you can't un-know it," said Karen Benfield, president of the New York City chapter.
The New York City Audubon Society's goal is to protect wild birds and their habitats, while raising awareness about the declining bird population throughout the city. In hopes to achieve that goal, board members voted recently to drop the Audubon name and will take the next few months to decide on a new one.
Benfield said the decision to change the name followed an eight-month assessment.
"What we learned and considered, and ultimately decided, as an organization is that that name is preventing people from wanting to engage in our conservation work. And at a time when North American birds are in such crisis, we need as many people as possible to join us in the work," she said.
Avid bird watcher Christian Cooper has been a Society board member for eight years. He experienced a racist encounter while birding in Central Park back in 2020 when a white woman called 911 and falsely claimed that he was threatening her.
He said the decision to drop the name is a step in the right direction.
"As a Black person, you find out that a society is named after someone who owned slaves, who made their living selling slaves, who defiled Indigenous graves, who was a promoter of slavery and racism, that's not exactly an inducement for you to get involved in that organization, and that's the problem," Cooper said. "We are trying to reach out to diverse communities of all sorts in all five boroughs -- Black people, Latino people, Asian people, white people, rich people, poor people."
Meanwhile, the National Audubon Society voted last month to keep the Audubon name.
"We all share the same fundamental values and the same fundamental goals, and we can use that to move forward, whether it's under the name Audubon or not," Cooper said.
The local chapter says it will remain affiliated, while efforts to become more inclusive continue.
"We have a program called 'NYCHA in Nature,' where we're actually going to the New York City Housing Authority, NYCHA, and we're bringing birding to the NYCHA housing projects," Cooper said.
"We have a Spanish-English bird guide that we're about to publish," Benfield said. "We're working hard to reach New Yorkers where they are and to bring them into birding."
Benfield added there were no people of color on the chapter's board in 2015, but they now represent 40% of the board, with a goal of getting to 50% by 2025.
