(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A bird conservation group, the Chicago Audubon Society, is threatening to change its name because of the history of its namesake.
Chicago Audubon Society President Judy Pollack has told the National Audubon Society that if the national group doesn’t vote to change its name when it meets at the end of the month, the Chicago chapter will.
“Audubon was a slave owner, he sold slaves,” Pollack said.
She said John James Audubon also collected the heads of native peoples and sent them to scientists to study.
“The science of the day was phrenology, which was basically measuring your brain to prove that white people were superior.”
Pollack said the bird and nature group needs to live in this era.
“What’s the name for us going forward that’s going to be the most welcoming and inclusive? It’s really not Audubon.”
The Seattle Audubon Society is also threatening to change its name. A Washington D.C.-based group that had “Audubon” in its name has already changed it to “Nature Forward.”
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