One of the nation’s largest birding and conservation groups is changing its name to distance itself from a 19th-century enslaver.
New York City Audubon announced on Thursday that it would become the NYC Bird Alliance in an effort to “broaden our reach and deepen our impact across the diverse communities of New York City” after an “overwhelming majority” of members voted in favor of the change.
For 45 years, NYC Audubon, one of the largest chapters of the National Audubon Society, bore the name of the ornithologist and illustrator John James Audubon. In recent years his legacy has come under scrutiny for his involvement in the slave trade and his racist writings.
“The Audubon name was a barrier to us in getting everyone involved in our work to protect birds and habitat,” said Jessica Wilson, executive director of NYC Bird Alliance. “He was an accomplished artist and naturalist who laid a foundation for the conservation movement. However, his views and actions were harmful during the time of his life to people of color and to Indigenous people, and they remain harmful today.”
Born in 1785 in modern-day Haiti, Audubon is best known for his study of North American birds, most famously depicted in the illustrated book The Birds of America. But the naturalist was also a vocal opponent of abolition who espoused racist pseudoscience. In the racial reckoning that took place after George Floyd’s murder in 2020, birders and conservationists called for a name change of groups that bore Audubon’s name.
“It became clear to us that we couldn’t be the organization we wanted to be, if we didn’t acknowledge that hurt and separate ourselves from the name,” said Lisa Alexander, executive director of Nature Forward. The Maryland-based group changed its name from the Audubon Naturalist Society in 2022. “We want to be an organization for everyone, and why would anyone have a name that would prevent people from wanting to join?”
Alexander said that since the organization changed its name, it’s received a more diverse pool of applicants who noted the name change as a reason for applying.
Other environmental groups in states including Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Washington have moved away from the name in recent years.
“Dropping a harmful namesake is only a single step on a long journey to building more inclusive communities around our mission for birds, but it is an important one,” said Claire Catania, executive director of Birds Connect Seattle, which was previously known as Seattle Audubon.
Last year the National Audubon Society board voted to keep its name despite calls for change from its members and the public.
“As independently incorporated entities, each chapter has the autonomy and authority to determine their name to best serve their needs,” Elizabeth Gray, the National Audubon Society’s chief executive, said. “There are no plans to change our name.”
