This morning National Audubon announced that they decided to keep the name Audubon, despite John James Audubon’s history as a slaveholder and person who stole skulls from the graves of Native Americans. This decision is disappointing and damaging, showing disregard to the communities of color and allies, including National Audubon’s own union staff, who have openly expressed that the name is harmful and a barrier to our important work. 

As part of our commitment to organizational equity, Portland Audubon has adopted a series of community agreements to guide our work. One of these is “Examine our intent, and be accountable to our impact.” Last month, we were called to do this as a result of one of our adult program descriptions.