Black Birders Week changed my life. It changed the way I see myself in environmental spaces. It was the reason I joined the Northern Virginia Bird Alliance board and gave me the opportunity to meet Black birders, photographers, artists, conservation leaders, and other Black nature enthusiasts. 

June 1, 2022 is the fourth day of Black Birders Week, “Soaring to Greater Heights.” It continues an annual event intended to “…celebrate and highlight birding as a lifelong learning journey that is enjoyed by Black cultures across the diaspora.”

Earlier this year Upton Hill Regional Park, Arlington NAACP’s Environmental Climate Justice Committee, Northern Virginia Audubon Society, and Arlington Master Naturalists came together and hosted their first series of Black and Latinx guided bird walks.

The walks are also supported by ASNV in collaboration with Arlington Master Naturalists. Walks take place on three Saturday mornings: April 24, May 8 and June 5.

After the video of a white woman making racist threats against Christian Cooper, a black birder in Central Park, a group of black professionals working across science, technology, engineering and math known as BlackAFinSTEM, organized #BlackBirdersWeek from May 31 – June 5.

Celebrate Black Birders Week starting May 31st by following along on social media. Read on to see the special hashtags and events for each day.