News Release: HAMILTON, Bermuda – CURB applauds the decision by the Bermuda Audubon Society to consider changing its name to disassociate itself from the man after which the charity is named, John James Audubon.
A CURB spokesperson said: “While Audubon was an avid bird lover, and author of the classic “Birds of America,” he was a slave owner and opposed freeing the enslaved.
“The Audubon Society has hundreds of chapters across America. One of the largest, the Seattle Chapter, has already dropped “Audubon” from its name. J Drew Lanham, who was formally on the National Audubon Society’s board, and who resigned in protest because he felt that the Society was not doing enough to address racial equity stated, “To excuse inhumane acts as just being in the context of their time is, I think, a lazy excuse…Those are the excuses the privileged tend to lean on when they don’t want to make changes.
“We believe that when such changes occur, it is more impactful whenthey come about because of honest reflection rather than pressure being brought to bear by a concerned society. There are other organisations that can follow the local chapter’s lead of reflection and change. If we want a more just and equitable society, we should be mindful of the words of Rev Dr Martin Luther King, ‘It is always the right time to do what is right!'”
