About equitable birding

Craig Kesselheim

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Jun 3, 2020, 9:33:20 AM6/3/20

to Maine Birders Listserv

Hi all - This isn't a report of a sighting.

I just want to share the #BlackBirdersWeek event that is happening currently, because it had not been on my radar and because our current events demand that we pay attention to all of our fellow birders with new urgency and commitment.

Here's a link to get you going, if interested. It's called #BlackBirdersWeek Takes On Systemic Racism, and this article comes from High Country News.

Best,

Craig K

Kristen Lindquist

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Jun 3, 2020, 10:19:37 AM6/3/20

to Craig Kesselheim, Maine Birders Listserv

Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Craig! I'll just add that if you're on Twitter and follow the hashtag #BlackBirdersWeek, you can enjoy/support some wonderful posts being shared by birders of color and raise your awareness of what it's like for them to participate in an outdoor activity like birding--something most of us simply take for granted.

Kristen

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Kristen Lindquist

Camden, ME

website: www.kristenlindquist.com

haiku blog: www.kristenlindquist.com/blog

"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible."

--Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

Medea Steinman

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Jun 4, 2020, 5:10:47 PM6/4/20

to Maine birds

Thanks for this Craig and Kristen! Great to know how rich the Black American birding community is and to see the goings-on for this inaugural Black Birders Week!

On Wednesday, June 3, 2020 at 10:19:37 AM UTC-4, Kristen Lindquist wrote:

Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Craig! I'll just add that if you're on Twitter and follow the hashtag #BlackBirdersWeek, you can enjoy/support some wonderful posts being shared by birders of color and raise your awareness of what it's like for them to participate in an outdoor activity like birding--something most of us simply take for granted.

Kristen

On Wed, Jun 3, 2020 at 9:33 AM Craig Kesselheim <ckess...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi all - This isn't a report of a sighting.

I just want to share the #BlackBirdersWeek event that is happening currently, because it had not been on my radar and because our current events demand that we pay attention to all of our fellow birders with new urgency and commitment.

Here's a link to get you going, if interested. It's called #BlackBirdersWeek Takes On Systemic Racism, and this article comes from High Country News.

Best,
Craig K

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Paul Wells

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Jun 9, 2020, 9:57:53 AM6/9/20

to Craig Kesselheim, Maine Birders Listserv

I may make myself unpopular with this post, but I feel compelled to comment on the "us" and "them" slant of some of the previous posts on this thread. It's pretty clear that there is an underlying assumption that members of this list are white ("us") and that black birders are communicating in some other forum of "their" own. I know everyone means well, but we should be aware of how our choice of words can reveal our inherent biases.

thanks,

Paul Wells

On Wed, Jun 3, 2020 at 9:33 AM Craig Kesselheim <ckess...@gmail.com> wrote:

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================================================================
Paul F. Wells
West Kennebunk, ME
USA

"That’s the good thing about science: It’s true whether or not you believe in it."

--Neil deGrasse Tyson

Paul Wells

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Jun 9, 2020, 10:06:19 AM6/9/20

to Craig Kesselheim, Maine Birders Listserv

I may make myself unpopular with this post, but I feel compelled to comment on the "us" and "them" slant of some of the previous posts on this thread. It's pretty clear that there is an underlying assumption that members of this list are white ("us") and that black birders are communicating in some other forum of "their" own. I know everyone means well, but we should be aware of how our choice of words can reveal our inherent biases.

thanks,

Paul Wells

On Wed, Jun 3, 2020 at 9:33 AM Craig Kesselheim <ckess...@gmail.com> wrote:

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Delia Guzman

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Jun 9, 2020, 10:26:23 AM6/9/20

to Paul Wells, Craig Kesselheim, Maine Birders Listserv

Thanks, Paul—great point. There aren’t a lot of us birders of color here in Maine, but we’re here and speaking for myself, I consider myself as “we” right along with white birders. I’m Latinx (brown).

And I appreciate Craig’s publicizing of the Black Birders Week events. Inclusiveness helps us all!

Delia in Brunswick

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Medea Steinman

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Jun 9, 2020, 11:13:39 AM6/9/20

to Paul Wells, Craig Kesselheim, Maine Birders Listserv

Hi Paul and Delia and all,

I'm terribly sorry if my post offended you! Humble apologies and wishing you happy birding!

Medea

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Paul Wells

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Jun 9, 2020, 12:31:30 PM6/9/20

to Medea Steinman, Craig Kesselheim, Maine Birders Listserv

Not offended, Medea--just saying something I thought needed to be said! In faceless forums like this there's a natural human tendency to visualize all others as being like ourselves. I'm surely as guilty of this as anyone. And thanks very much for speaking up, Delia, and letting us know that "we" are a bit more diverse than might be at first supposed.

pfw

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Delia Guzman

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Jun 9, 2020, 12:36:16 PM6/9/20

to Medea Steinman, Craig Kesselheim, Maine Birders Listserv, Paul Wells

I wasn’t offended at all. Just happy to talk inclusivity and diversity!

On Tue, Jun 9, 2020 at 11:13 AM Medea Steinman <wre...@gmail.com> wrote:

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Medea Steinman

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Jun 9, 2020, 1:00:07 PM6/9/20

to Delia Guzman, Craig Kesselheim, Maine Birders Listserv, Paul Wells

Yay--rock on and let's keep this conversation going! TONS more cool info links on this page: https://www.birdnote.org/black-birders-week

AMF

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Jun 9, 2020, 4:11:10 PM6/9/20

to Medea Steinman, Delia Guzman, Craig Kesselheim, Maine Birders Listserv, Paul Wells

Medea, /Wonderful link to lots of links. I have enjoyed checking a few
out. There more to browse. Fun and rewarding. Thank you./Allan

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