The National Audubon Society (NAS) faced a slew of warranted backlash back in March after refusing to change its name, despite its namesake’s history of being a racist jerk. But Midwestern chapters of the birding group in Detroit, Chicago, and Wisconsin are rebranding in an effort to address the problematic legacy.
Detroit Audubon will become the Detroit Bird Alliance, the organization announced Monday. Chicago Audubon is changing its name to Chicago Bird Alliance and Madison Audubon will become Badgerland Bird Alliance.
“Our approach has always been to bring nature and people together in a way that serves both,” said Gretchen Abrams, executive director of Detroit Audubon (soon-to-be Detroit Bird Alliance). “It was important for us to collaborate with other Audubon chapters — especially those in our region — in adopting a name that unifies our members and unifies us as organizations.”
NAS was named for naturalist John James Audubon, who had a history of deeply-rooted racism toward African American and Indigenous people, in addition to buying and selling enslaved people. NAS acknowledges his racist beliefs and practices but gives him a pass due to his contributions to ornithology, art, and culture.
“When you recognize John James Audubon’s environmental legacy, you also have to grapple with his full legacy,” said Matt Reetz, Badgerland Bird Alliance executive director. “After talking to community members and partners, and listening to our members, we learned that for some groups, Audubon simply meant ‘birds’ — but for many others, it meant harm. It’s not enough to just put an asterisk next to the name. We needed to have our name promote our work: bird conservation that includes everyone.”
This is especially true in cities like Detroit where Black and brown birders often face racism while enjoying their hobby, and meetups are dominated by white participants.
All three chapters will continue their affiliation with NAS. Several other chapters nationwide have also chosen to drop the Audubon moniker, including San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bird Alliance (formerly Golden Gate Audubon Society) and Birds Connect Seattle (formerly Seattle Audubon).
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