NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- The viral Central Park ‘Karen’ incident sparked the creation of a weeklong virtual event series aimed at highlighting the work of black birdwatchers.
May 31 to June 5 marked the first Black Birders Week, an online event series “designed to highlight Black scientists, scholars and everyday nature lovers,” CNN reported.
Organizer Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman told the outlet the series aimed to “normaliz(e) the fact that Black people exist in the birding and natural sciences community.”
“People don’t understand that Black people exist in other contexts other than the ones they’re exposed to,” she said. “It’s to ensure other people see the impact of Black birders and naturalists, and gives them a chance to be seen."
The Audubon Society and the National Park Service were among the organizations that took part in the series, according to the outlet.