海角大神

When Boston socialites Minna Hall and Harriet Hemenway sought to end the slaughter of birds in the name of 19th century high fashion, they picked a logical namesake for their cause: John James Audubon, a naturalist celebrated for his stunning watercolors of American birds.

Now, 125 years after the founding of the Massachusetts Audubon Society for the Protection of Birds, the organization and the nearly 500 Audubon chapters nationwide it helped inspire are reckoning with another side of Audubon鈥檚 life: He was also a slaveholder and staunch opponent of abolition.

In the year-plus since George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police, Audubon chapters have pledged to do more to atone for the past, including diversifying their staff and finding ways to make natural spaces more welcoming to people of color. It鈥檚 part of a broader reckoning within the wider environmental movement, which for years has faced criticism for its racist origins and lack of diversity.

鈥淎t this point, if people are not part of what they鈥檙e trying to protect, that鈥檚 an issue,鈥� said Debbie Njai, an Illinois resident who founded the outdoor group BlackPeopleWhoHike.

The Mass Audubon published an essay last fall acknowledging how Audubon鈥檚 family鈥檚 wealth came in large part from running a Caribbean sugar plantation. It has also pledged to have people of color make up 25% of its board of directors, and hopes to open more wildlife sanctuaries in communities of color.

The National Audubon Society, which is based in New York and is separate from the Mass Audubon, has similarly delved into its namesake鈥檚 legacy in a series of essays.

And the Sierra Club publicly apologized last July for the racist views of its founder, John Muir, who openly dismissed American Indians as dirty savages. The Oakland-based group has also committed $5 million to boost its environmental justice work and recently voiced support for Black reparations.

Environmental groups understand the future of their movement hinges on changing their white, elitist reputation, said David O鈥橬eill, president of the Mass Audubon.

鈥淚f we don鈥檛 get younger and we don鈥檛 get more diverse, we鈥檙e not going to have people to advocate on behalf of nature, and that鈥檚 not good for anyone,鈥� he said during a recent visit to the group鈥檚 Boston Nature Center, an urban wildlife sanctuary in a majority Black neighborhood that it hopes to replicate in other Massachusetts communities of color.

Green organizations appear to be making progress on improving staff diversity, but their leadership remains predominantly white, said Andres Jimenez, head of Green 2.0, a Washington, D.C., group that puts out an annual report card on diversity in the environmental sector.

In its most recent report, Green 2.0 found that the nation鈥檚 largest green groups added, on average, six people of color to their staff, two to their senior management, and one to their board of directors between 2017 and 2020.

鈥淲e need to see that change up top to move the ball in an accelerated way,鈥� Mr. Jimenez said.

Bird conservation brought the country鈥檚 latest racial reckoning to the environmental movement鈥檚 doorsteps, and, in many ways, it鈥檚 where the calls for change are most acutely felt.

There鈥檚 a growing campaign, for example, to drop the eponyms of birds that honor slaveholders and white supremacists 鈥� Bird Names for Birds.

The catalyst was a dispute between a Black birdwatcher and a white woman with her dog in New York鈥檚 Central Park that went viral last summer, sparking #BlackBirdersWeek and other similar efforts to highlight Black nature enthusiasts and the discrimination and other challenges they face in the outdoors.

海角大神 Cooper, the birder at the center of that controversy, stressed organizations like the Audubon have been taking steps to address diversity long before his viral moment, even if some have yielded mixed results.

A board member with the New York City Audubon Society, Mr. Cooper said his chapter has been trying to draw more diverse members through modest events like last month鈥檚 Juneteenth birdwatching and potluck picnic.

鈥淭he organizations that are having the most success are those that are trying new things,鈥� Mr. Cooper said. 鈥淭he reality is that fixing centuries of ingrained racial bias as it manifests in the environmental movement is hard and uncomfortable work.鈥�

At the National Audubon Society, the racial reckoning has boiled over into staff unrest.

Spurred by complaints of a toxic workplace, an outside audit concluded in April that a 鈥渃ulture of retaliation, fear, and antagonism toward women and people of color鈥� existed at the organization. Longtime CEO David Yarnold swiftly resigned.

Tykee James, who serves as the organization鈥檚 government affairs officer in Washington, is among the staffers pushing to form a labor union to address diversity and other workplace problems. He also wants the Audubon to be more vocal in publicly advocating for environmental justice causes.

鈥淭he culture that we鈥檝e had in this organization hasn鈥檛 been one for workers of color, hasn鈥檛 been one for women, hasn鈥檛 been one for nonbinary folks,鈥� Mr. James said.

Matt Smelser, a spokesperson for the Audubon Society, referred to a May statement from the group, which said 鈥渂ullying and other bad behavior鈥� won鈥檛 be tolerated going forward. The organization also continues to search for a permanent CEO and has committed to remaining neutral in the unionization efforts, he added.

Back at the Mass Audubon, Mr. O鈥橬eill says the organization鈥檚 board has added new members so that 17% of them are people of color. The staff of more than 950 is about 65% white.

Scott Edwards, an ornithologist at Harvard, said the jury鈥檚 still out on whether these early steps are enough. Some green groups will have to re-imagine their mission and pivot to more urban populations, he said.

鈥淥rganizations will have to think creatively about how to get communities of color more connected with nature,鈥� said Mr. Edwards, who is Black. 鈥淪how them that their voices are needed and wanted. Make them feel included in the larger effort of conservation.鈥�

Mamie Parker, who worked for decades at the United State Fish and Wildlife Service and was its first Black regional director, advises environmental groups to approach racial equity like a conservation challenge.

鈥淲hen you plant a tree to restore a forest or take care of bald eagles to rebuild their population,鈥� the retired biologist from Dulles, Virginia, said, 鈥渋t takes years before those efforts bear fruit.鈥�

This story was reported by The Associated Press.