NYC Audubon's now NYC Bird Alliance, distancing itself from tarnished legacy
The group formerly known as NYC Audubon has changed its name to the NYC Bird Alliance, completing a multi-year process of severing its ties to John James Audubon, the 19th century artist and environmentalist whose reputation as a slave owner had increasingly clouded the group’s mission.
The name change “marks a significant moment in our organization's history," Jessica Wilson, the organization’s executive director, said in a statement, adding that the new name “better encapsulates our mission to protect birds and their habitats while making the city healthier for all New Yorkers, both birds and people.” Wilson said the new name would also help the organization better reach and impact diverse communities. “I’m happy to share that since we announced the change … our membership signups and donations have increased,” Wilson wrote in an email on Tuesday.It said in a multi-part statement online that it then began an effort to choose a new name, and received nearly 250 suggestions from its members. The organization’s board voted to approve NYC Bird Alliance at its scheduled quarterly meeting in March. The organization's members signed off on the change in a June 5 vote. In the statement, the organization provided the reasoning behind the change. It noted that “Audubon was an accomplished artist and naturalist who achieved fame for his paintings of North American bird species.” “So popular were the paintings and engravings that after his death, Audubon’s name became associated with bird conservation,” it adds. “Many conservation groups now bear his name in tribute, as do numerous parks, streets, zoos, sanctuaries, and birds with ‘Audubon’ in the name.” But the statement also referenced Audubon’s “complicated legacy,” noting that he “owned, purchased, and sold enslaved people. He also wrote about returning escaped enslaved people to their owners and of his strong opposition to the growing abolitionist movement. Those views and actions are antithetical to our mission.” The New York City chapter joins chapters in other cities that have dropped the Audubon name, including Seattle, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Portland and Madison. However, the National Audubon Society bucked the trend by voting to retain its name last year, a decision that prompted three of its board members to resign. The local group noted that the new name, NYC Bird Alliance, “underscores that we do not undertake our advocacy, conservation, science, and engagement work alone: we are part of a large and mighty union of members, activists, and conservation partners who champion birds every day — from within our City to across the country. And, we are allies of the birds themselves.”Arun Venugopal is a senior reporter for the WNYC and Gothamist Race & Justice Unit who focuses on issues of race and bias in our region. His reporting also tackles the topics of immigration, faith, and inequality. Arun serves as the regular fill-in host of the station's "U.S. of Anxiety" program. Arun was the creator and host of Micropolis, a series about race and identity. He is a contributor to NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered. He has appeared on PBS Newshour, On the Media and Studio 360, and has been published in The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal and Salon. He also frequently serves as an emcee and moderator of panel discussions on race, religion, and identity issues and has been a guest host of NPR's "Fresh Air." He lives with his family in Queens.NYC Health and Hospitals' CEO is pushing for the hospital, but says he's "agnostic" about who runs it.Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Hayden Espinosa used Telegram, a messaging app, to traffic illegal guns from his federal prison cell in Louisiana.Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Hayden Espinosa used Telegram, a messaging app, to traffic illegal guns from his federal prison cell in Louisiana.Gothamist is a website about New York City news, arts, events and food, brought to you by New York Public Radio.
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NYC bird group drops name of illustrator and slave owner AudubonThe conservationist group known as NYC Audubon has changed its name to NYC Bird Alliance to distance itself from the pro-slavery views of ornithologist and illustrator John James Audubon
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NYC bird group drops name of illustrator and slave owner AudubonThe conservationist group known as NYC Audubon has changed its name to NYC Bird Alliance to distance itself from the pro-slavery views of ornithologist and illustrator John James Audubon. The name change follows similar moves by Audubon Society chapters in Chicago, Seattle and other cities.
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NYC bird group drops name of illustrator and slave owner AudubonNEW YORK (AP) — The conservationist group known as NYC Audubon has changed its name to NYC Bird Alliance to distance itself from the pro-slavery views of
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NYC bird group drops name of illustrator and slave owner AudubonThe conservationist group known as NYC Audubon has changed its name to NYC Bird Alliance to distance itself from the pro-slavery views of ornithologist and illustrator John James Audubon.
Read more »
NYC bird group drops name of illustrator and slave owner AudubonThe conservationist group known as NYC Audubon has changed its name to NYC Bird Alliance to distance itself from the pro-slavery views of ornithologist and illustrator John James Audubon.
Read more »
NYC Audubon officially loses the AudubonThe name change is to distance itself from the pro-slavery views of ornithologist and illustrator John James Audubon, the organization announced.
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