How one viral video sparked a black birding movement online

Black birders took to Twitter this week in response to a viral video showing a white woman calling the police on a black man, Christian Cooper, who asked her to keep her dog on a leash in Central Park.

The first Black Birders Week is taking place as a way to affirm black people’s right to be in nature without having to face racism and discrimination.

As part of the week, people are posting photos of their favorite birds and outdoor places online, and posing questions to experienced birders.

And how did the idea for Black Birders Week evolve from there.

So I pitched the idea to the group and I said, “How about a black birders day?” Tykee James, who hosts the podcast On Word for Wildlife, did me one better and said, “How about a black birders week?” And I said, “Perfect.

I didn’t realize until Black Birders Week that I’d actually been an amateur birder at some point in my life.

Those options are not available, especially for black people.

What that shows is that black people are never allowed to just have space.

How do you see Black Birder Week in relationship to the protests against police killings of black people taking place.

What we’re all ultimately protesting for is the existence of black people in space?

Black Birders Week is protesting for the existence of black people in the natural space, in the birder space, in the explorer space?

It’s arguing for the existence of black people in space, period.

Why is it controversial that black birders exist in this space.

That is what’s being protested outside and that’s what is being protested over social media through Black Birders Week.

Social media is a powerful tool, especially for black people

People always talk about the power of black Twitter

Black Twitter is a force because it’s a community of people who have shared experiences across countries, across faiths — and they’re coming together under one purpose: uplifting black voices and amplifying who we are and our humanity