“Keep your head to the sky” isn’t just an amazing Earth Wind and Fire lyric, it’s an instruction that will help people make the most of this Black Birders Week.
Started back in 2020 after the Central Park birdwatching incident in which a white woman turned in an Oscar-worthy performance to try to get a Black birdwatcher arrested, this is a week-long series of online events to highlight Black folks who love nature and also to increase the visibility of Black birders.
STEM folks going by the name the BlackAFinSTEM collective initially came up with the idea, and the week has been going strong in the few years since.
The Smithsonian is gearing up to support Black AF In STEM’s work and also celebrate and highlight birding in Black cultures across the diaspora. The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), and the National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute are joining the National Museum of Natural History with events and activities from May 29- June 4.
Check out the calendar here.