Photo: Outdoor Afro and ASNV at Huntley Meadows, Antonio Simmons
The COVID pandemic and our resultant programmatic pause allowed ASNV to reflect and act on how we engage with all communities in Northern Virginia. In particular, the Spring 2020 murder of George Floyd and the incident in Central Park involving NYC Audubon board member Christian Cooper brought into focus that racism is still present in our country and organizations.
There are multiple reasons to consider our organizational diversity and inclusion. First, and most important, it’s the right thing to do. ASNV’s mission is to serve all of the communities of Northern Virginia, providing all of them with access to nature and conserving nature to meet their needs. Second, if we are to address successfully the overwhelming problems of climate change, the stunning loss of 2.9 billion birds from the U.S. and Canada since 1970, and the challenges of rapid urbanization and habitat loss in our area, we need the involvement of all northern Virginia communities.
Where to start to solidify and improve our diversity efforts? Some believe that the first priority should be renaming our organization, thereby acknowledging John James Audubon’s racism. National Audubon Society, of which ASNV is a chapter, is considering that question now, but its decision is still pending. So far, ASNV has tentatively decided to await that outcome.
What could not wait was taking positive action to effect change in our own organization to become more inclusive. In planning how to move forward, we took to heart the words of Black American ornithologist Dr. J. Drew Lanham in his discussion of John James Audubon’s racism: “[M]any blind spots remain in the wake of a legacy that can either be ignored to a fate of stagnancy and decline or be learned from to move, with eyes wider open, toward a more equitable, just, and inclusive conservation future.”
Here are some highlights of what we have done since 2020 to move forward, “with eyes wider open”:
Formed a Diversity and Inclusion Committee to integrate and energize our efforts.
Expanded our Board of Directors to include members from diverse groups and perspectives.
Cultivated partnerships with like-minded groups for joint programming. Here are just two examples: We partnered with NOVA Parks and NAACP/Arlington to establish an ongoing, award-winning Black and Latin/Hispanic Bird and Nature Walks series at Upton Hill Regional Park. We partnered with the Public Education and Outreach Committee of the Arlington Regional Master Naturalists to operate programs to reach underserved, low-income families.
Improved outreach by engaging a variety of groups already connecting to diverse communities in ongoing activities. Examples include partnerships with NAACP/Arlington, NAACP/Fairfax, Black Women Hike, Outdoor Afro, and Asian-American seniors in HUD housing, with ASNV providing support and volunteers for regular walks, outings, and community events. We also developed and translated into Spanish materials that we used in events such as those during Latino Conservation Week.
Reached out to different age groups by enlisting volunteers in our programs, including Scouts, and, through our new program, NextGen Birders for Conservation, younger adults.
Improved inclusion in all of our programs: For example, our college interns in 2022, who came from or work with underserved communities, helped us develop materials for Spanish speakers, people on the autism disorder spectrum, and American Sign Language users.
Improved access for appreciating birds and other natural resources. For example, our members contributed over 80 entries to the crowd-sourced Birdability map, which describes the accessibility features of birding locations all over the world; provided links to public transportation to over a dozen eBird hotspots; promoted COVID-inspired Zoom programming to communities that had never participated in our events, reaching new audiences; and adding closed captioning to all of our virtual programs.
So, what’s next? We plan to expand on our efforts with our current partners; ensure that all of our program committees, from advocacy to citizen science and conservation are actively involved in diversity, inclusion, and access; expand the geographic range of our programs; and expand our work with youth and families.
We need help with all of these efforts. Please consider volunteering. It’s important and lots of fun.