Note: This resource guide was first published 2/5/2021, and has been updated.

The importance of Black Americans in conservation and environmentalism is GREATLY underrepresented and it requires some digging to learn about the significant past and current Black contributors and advocates of birding, conservation, and environmental justice.

As part of its mission, CBA is committed to increasing diversity in birding and conservation locally. To accomplish this, we are building a resource catalogue of important diverse voices for birding and conservation, including Black authors, advocates and social media influencers. We’ll be adding to this catalogue regularly, so follow us on social media or check our home page for updates.

Social Media

Instagram

Podcasts

Here are a few of our favorite podcasts that focus on Black birding.

Featured

Always Be Birdin' - Sam DeJarnett

Always Be Birdin’ is hosted by Sam, a Black birder based in Oregon. whose podcast is centered on uplifting BIPOC voices and experiences in the birding and conservation community.

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Help This Garden Grow - Hazel Johnson

A podcast documentary series telling the story of Hazel Johnson, a visionary of the Environmental Justice movement and a resident of the Altgeld Gardens community on the far South Side of Chicago.

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I Worship Every Bird That I See - Drew Lanham

A beautiful conversation with celebrated author and ornithologist Drew Lanham on his journey, and comments on his book, The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature.

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Books

Featured

Better Living Through Birding: Notes From a Black Man in the Natural World by Christian Cooper

This award-winning New York Times best seller tells the story of a Black man, a self-described Blird (Black Nerd) and his fascinating life, including the now infamous Central Park incident where he videotaped a woman using racial tactics to endanger his life.

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Black Faces, White Spaces, Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors by Carolyn Finney

Why are African Americans so underrepresented when it comes to interest in nature, outdoor recreation, and environmentalism? In this thought-provoking study, Carolyn Finney looks beyond the discourse of the environmental justice movement to examine how the natural environment has been understood, commodified, and represented by both white and black Americans.

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Planetwalker: 22 Years of Walking. 17 Years of Silence by John Francis Ph.D.

When the struggle to save oil-soaked birds and restore blackened beaches left him feeling frustrated and helpless, John Francis decided to take a more fundamental and personal stand-he stopped using all forms of motorized transportation.

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The Home Place by Drew Lanham

“In me, there is the red of miry clay, the brown of spring floods, the gold of ripening tobacco. I am, in the deepest sense, colored.” From these fertile soils—of love, land, identity, family, and race—emerges The Home Place, a big-hearted, unforgettable memoir by ornithologist J. Drew Lanham.

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We encourage you to purchase books from a Black-owned bookstore:

Semi-colon - 515 N Halsted St, Chicago
AALBC - a guide to Black-owned book stores in IL

TV/Film/Video

Featured

America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston

America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston, on PBS, is a weekly television series hosted by author, cultural activist, and Emmy®-nominated host Baratunde Thurston.

Extraordinary Birder - Christian Cooper

Join Christian Cooper as he travels to various locations each episode, from Hawaii to New York City to Cost Rica, to discover the joy of birds and birding.

Film: Outdoors While Black

“This Land” is a short film that tells the story of land access told through a journey of inclusion and empowerment. A screening of the film is followed by a discussion by thought-provoking post-film discussion to unpack history, reframe safety and learn about opportunities for action with filmmaker Faith Briggs, film subject Drew Lanham, and Chicago-area environmentalists of color.

Video Presentations

In 2020 we hosted Deja Perkins and Audrey Peterman - here are videos of their fascinating presentations.

Featured

Nov 18

Compelling Voices in Birding and Conservation: Audrey Peterman and the Doctor Bird

Audrey Peterman's new book, “From My Jamaican Gully to the World,” shares how the confidence she acquired growing up wild and free in Jamaica. Audrey focuses on connecting the public lands system and the American public in an egalitarian way.

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Aug 11

Finding My Flock: A Conservation Story with Deja Perkins

Deja Perkins is an urban ecologist, science communicator and birder who grew up on the southeast side of Chicago. With a focus on environmental justice, Deja is one of the co-organizers of the #BlackBirdersWeek social media movement and currently the President of BlackAFinSTEM, the membership organization that organized Black Birders Week.

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