On the same day George Floyd was murdered by a police officer on a Minneapolis street — Memorial Day, 2020 — Christian Cooper was searching for songbirds in Central Park.
To David Yarnold, the chief executive of the National Audubon Society at the time, both events demanded a response.
The powerful conservation group and pre-eminent bird enthusiasts’ organization needed to weigh in, and even examine itself.
“Black lives matter,” Mr. Yarnold, who is white, wrote in a letter to the society’s staff after the first weekend of the George Floyd protests.
“Our nation is in turmoil because our governments, our institutions (including Audubon), and private individuals haven’t done nearly enough to act on that fundamental truth.”Mr. Yarnold promised to start a “long conversation” about how the Audubon Society could “become antiracist in everything we do.”
Persons:
George Floyd, Christian Cooper, Cooper, David Yarnold, Mr, Yarnold, “, ”
Organizations:
National Audubon Society, Audubon, Audubon Society
Locations:
Minneapolis, Central Park