Tahoma Audubon Society is considering removing the “Audubon” name from our organization along with many other chapters locally and nationally. Our namesake John James Audubon was well known for his 19th century bird paintings which is why the society was originally named after him long after his death. Unfortunately, he was a racist slave owner, vocal anti-abolitionist and regularly killed 100 birds a day to pose them for his art.
We feel this name does not represent our people or our dedicated work in bird conservation, nor does it invite our community to join us in protecting local wildlife and habitats. Our members will have the final vote about changing the name at our general meeting in February. Want a vote? Become a member!
Anyone can submit comments or name suggestions to names@tahomaaudubon.org. Read the full story, a list of FAQs, and additional articles on the Tahoma Audubon website.
This seems to be a reasonable, thoughtful approach. Thanks for sharing the background of this initiative.