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Today we take a small break from the world of birds and listen to the story of my dear friend and birder, Jahquari Greene's, racially motivated and wrongful termination after being physically assaulted at Bar Casa Vale in Portland, OR. His mission is to ensure that this restaurant comes forward with acknowledgement and accountability and that this never happens again to anyone else. Please follow this story and support the #KeepPlating Series: A Paella Protest Pop Up, on IG at @madman_popup and TikTok at @Jahquari. If you would like a ticket to the first pop up in the series on Monday January 5th, please visit https://partiful.com/e/ZYkdSK2tGvpboNHI3YG7?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPMTI0MDI0NTc0Mjg3NDE0AAGnaELx_oXdDnpB6ID4knSkPvbYFLccw6YaRccffNbH57AyiEVgtkJm8lX77qk_aem_-EtoAX76lmUuHzTEhyBB0w Here at the Always Be Birdin' Podcast, we never shy away from calling out racism and platforming Black voices allowing for a safe space to share their stories while creating the support and community they need to thrive and flourish in a society that has been and is always wanting to see us fail and suffer. We will always offer what we can to those who wish to #applypressure and burn these systems to the ground. 

Welcome back to the Always Be Birdin' Podcast hosted by Sam DeJarnett for Season 2!! Our first episode is revisiting the lasting affect of #BlackBirdersWeek on us as BIPOC birders over the last 5 years. Please enjoy my re-recording of the presentation I did at the Justice Outside Unite & Ignite 2025 conference in Philly back in September 2025, titled "Black Birders: The Reclamation and Radicalization of Birding As An Act of Resistance." This is my perspective on how Black leadership, specifically by Black women and femmes, within the hobby of birding and careers in conservation have paved the way for deep community connection and care while simultaneously setting the stage for resistance by dismantling and reworking “the narrative” created by racism, white supremacy and capitalism. Taking place beginning in 2020 with the “Incident in Central Park” with Christian Cooper, fueled by the murder of George Floyd by the police and shaped by Covid, Black birders created and sustained an online movement which stood alongside BlackLivesMatter and made space for Black, Indigenous and birders of color all over the country to connect, share and heal together. This is the story of how Black birders reclaimed and radicalized the hobby of birding as an act of Resistance.

Welcome back to the Always Be Birdin' Podcast!   We're sliding into Season 3 with self proclaimed Cemetery Birder, Danielle Belleny, as we celebrate her new book, This Is A Book For People Who Love Birds. Recently published, This Is A Book For People Who Love Birds is a short but sweet introduction to the world of birds and birding. Intended for those who don't realize they love birds yet and those who have just begun their journey, Danielle does a brilliant job of taking big scientific and social ideas and packing them in a way that is easy to digest and super fun to read!   Join us as we discuss different aspects of the book and celebrate Danielle for this huge accomplishment. Follow us on social media (listed below) for a chance to win a free copy of the This Is A Book For People Who Love Birds, Always Be Birdin' stickers and select items from Bird Collective.  -- Where to buy This Is A Book For People Who Love Birds: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=this+is+a+book+for+people+who+love+birds&crid=U4GA2628BG20&sprefix=%2Caps%2C126&ref=nb_sb_ss_recent_2_0_recent Danielle Belleny Socials: IG https://www.instagram.com/bellzisbirding/?hl=en Follow Always Be Birdin': IGhttps://www.instagram.com/alwaysbebirdin_podcast/?hl=en

Last week I had my first ever live recording and today I have the absolute honor to bring you an interview with National Geographic Explorer and Storyteller, MIT Fellow and scuba diver, Tara Roberts. We discuss her recently released podcast, Into the Depths, where we as the listeners get to follow Tara as she works with fellow Black divers through Diving with a Purpose as they search for and help document sunken ships that carried enslaved African and were a part of the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade. Tara talks with me about her experiences in making this podcast, what inspired her to learn how to dive and how that ultimately lead her down this deeply personal journey of identity through history and what it means to connect with our ancestors as well as descendants that are all around us today. This episode is personal to me as a mixed race Black woman in America. I was holding back tears for parts of this interview and am in awe of Tara's journey and her mission to bring the work of these Black scuba divers to the surface (no pun) and work to re-tell the stories of our ancestors and us as descendants. Follow the podcast on IG : https://www.instagram.com/intothedepths_podcast/ Listen to Into the Depths here : https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/into-the-depths/id1604457921?ign-itscg=80085&ign-itsct=pod_show_natgeo_intothedepths Read about it here : https://www.nationalgeographic.com/impact/article/tara-roberts-diving-with-a-purpose Watch it here : https://youtu.be/u6KR7Y6tRkY Check out the work of Diving with a Purpose : https://divingwithapurpose.org -- Follow Always Be Birdin' on IG : https://www.instagram.com/alwaysbebirdin_podcast/?hl=en Donate : https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AlwaysBeBirdin    

Small grassroots organizations and individuals are the ones on the ground doing the hard work to create safe and educational spaces in nature for Black, Indigenous and people of color. What does it mean to have big dreams for our communities and NOT have to give them up because of barriers to funding? Philanthropy and distribution of money is gate kept by wealthy white people who are the ones to decide who is and isn't "worthy" of funding. The same money gets passed around at the top while those grassroots organizations are struggling to enact the change we need for our communities because we can't afford to put on the  type of programming we want and that our communities deserve.   Today, I speak with Chandrika Francis who is the Founder and Facilitator of Oshun Swim School based in Seattle, WA, Lydia Parker who is a Co-Founder and Executive Director of Hunters of Color based in Portland, OR and Alex Troutman, Hunters of Color Mentee and Wildlife Biologist based in Austell, GA. We all do different work, but we are connected by our missions to create safe, healing and educational spaces for Black, Indigenous and people of color outside as well as the grant that is enabling us to aggressively pursue our dreams for a different future. We speak in depth and detail about the Liberated Paths Grantmaking Program through Justice Outside, why it is so important and how it is going to help us to lead our communities into collective liberation outside.   Wether you are a birder, hunter, grad student, biologist, nature lover or starting up your own small organization, this episode will help you understand the disparities of philanthropy and distribution of funding and teach you how it can and is being done differently.   -- Oshun Swim School - http://www.oshunswimschool.com Donate : https://www.patreon.com/oshunswimschool Follow on IG : https://www.instagram.com/oshunswimschool/ Hunters of Color - https://www.huntersofcolor.org Follow on IG : https://www.instagram.com/huntersofcolor/ Donate : https://www.patreon.com/huntersofcolor Alex Troutman - https://alexktroutman.wixsite.com/n8tureal/about Follow on IG : https://www.instagram.com/n8ture_al/ Donate : Paypal N8ture_Al Justice Outside - https://justiceoutside.org Follow on IG : https://www.instagram.com/we_are_justice_outside/ "What is the Liberated Paths approach? With the Liberated Paths Grantmaking Program, we are working to create a more just and sustainable outdoor and environmental movement. The Liberated Paths Grantmaking Program aims to shift resources to and build power with Black, Indigenous, and Communities of Color.  To build a more just and sustainable outdoor and environmental movement, the Liberated Paths Grantmaking Program supports outdoor initiatives and organizations that cultivate and celebrate the contributions of Black, Indigenous, and Communities of Color and affirm the many experiences and identities our communities hold. Liberated Paths currently supports recreation, marine and coastal conservation, and land conservation initiatives in Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington and California. As we shift resources and build power with these programs, we hope to expand Liberated Paths nationally. Why did Justice Outside create this program?  Now more than ever, our communities’ health and wellbeing depend on having access to the outdoors and a voice in how our land and water are used. But for decades, systemic racism has determined who is welcome in outdoor spaces and whose experiences and voices are valued. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color-led organizations are on the frontlines of the grassroots work being done to build a better planet but our work is chronically overlooked and underfunded.  We know that when our voices are left out, our communities suffer, and our planet does too. With the Liberated Paths Grantmaking Program, we envision a way to bridge that gap." -- Follow me on IG : @AlwaysBeBirdin_Podcast Twitter : @alwaysbebirdin Donate : https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AlwaysBeBirdin

In part 2 of this roundtable discussion, Candace, Daniela, Dexter, Angel, Jason and I dive deep into several important topics. We talk about why BIPOC only spaces are important for us to continue to breakdown historical narratives of cross cultural tension within BIPOC communities that is a design of white supremacy and Bird Joy can help break these cycles of in-culture discrimination. BIPOC peoples are of the land, of the water, of the trees and the animals and when we talk about reclaiming these spaces outside, it is more than just creating safe spaces, it is bringing us back to our ancestral rights to be with the land and however we choose to show up in it, white folk must be okay with it. It is no longer whiteness that dictates how this land is used and what it looks like. Shout out to our mentors of color who set us on our individual and collective paths to Occupy Birding and Normalize Bird Joy.  **Candace Williams is credited with the term "Occupy Birding" which is used at the end of this episode. **Dexter Patterson is credited with the term "Bird Joy" which is used multiple times in this episode and the last one.  Candace Williams of Chicago BIPOC Birding Network (unofficial) Chicago IL IG: https://www.instagram.com/chi_in_the_city/ Daniela Herrera of Chicago BIPOC Birding Network (unofficial) Chicago IL  IG: https://www.instagram.com/latina.birder/?hl=en Angel Ramirez of Oxnard Birder's Club, Oxnard CA  IG : https://www.instagram.com/oxnardbirdersclub/?hl=en Dexter Patterson of BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin, Madison WI IG: https://www.instagram.com/bipocbirdingclubofwi/?hl=en Website: https://www.bipocbirdingclub.org Jason Hall of In Color Birding Club, Philadelphia PA IG: https://www.instagram.com/incolorbirdingclub/?hl=en -- Follow me on IG @alwaysbebirdin_podcast Donate: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AlwaysBeBirdin 

Meet five leaders in the community creating necessary spaces for BIPOC through organized outings. In this first part, we are introduced to each of them and hear their stories of what brought them to birding and eventually to starting BIPOC birding clubs or networks. All of these people are wonderful and have a deep love of birding and brining that join into the BIPOC communities where they are from. In part 2 we talk a lot more deeply about the importance of BIPOC only spaces in birding.   03:37 Candace Williams of Chicago BIPOC Birding Network (unofficial) Chicago IL 07:43 Daniela Herrera of Chicago BIPOC Birding Network (unofficial) Chicago IL  IG: https://www.instagram.com/latina.birder/?hl=en 14:07 Angel Ramirez of Oxnard Birder's Club, Oxnard CA  IG : https://www.instagram.com/oxnardbirdersclub/?hl=en 24:20 Dexter Patterson of BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin, Madison WI IG: https://www.instagram.com/bipocbirdingclubofwi/?hl=en Website: https://www.bipocbirdingclub.org 38:46 Jason Hall of In Color Birding Club, Philadelphia PA IG: https://www.instagram.com/incolorbirdingclub/?hl=en -- Follow me on IG @alwaysbebirdin_podcast Donate: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AlwaysBeBirdin 

As bird lovers, one of the best and most memorable experiences we all hope to have is a close encounter with birds. Be it through meeting a falconer, visiting your local conservation organization or zoo or having a once in a lifetime moment out birding, seeing birds up close is nothing short of amazing. When we think about meeting a bird who is in captivity for educational purposes, what does it take for those birds to feel comfortable with the people that work with them and you as an audience member?     Today, I talk with Corina Newsome (@hood__naturalist), Ornithologist and Community Engagement Manager with Georgia Audubon, about the extremely exciting and interesting world of avian training for educational purposes. There is a lot to this profession and it is not an easy job. Corina and I discuss different training methods, bird language, species differences in captivity and why relationship and trust building is so important between bird and trainer.     We then Dig Into It and take all of these ideas around avian training and create a powerful metaphor for how white supremacy operates in institutional settings with Black, Brown and Indigenous people of color. We hone in on and dissect how important the intentionally slow, incremental steps (or approximations) towards re-building relationship and trust with the BIPOC community can be the radical behavioral shift white conservation organizations need to understand if they truly want to dismantle the pillars of oppression within their institutions.  -- Follow Corina Newsome on IG here : https://www.instagram.com/hood__naturalist/ and connect with all her work here : https://linktr.ee/corinanewsome -- Resources for avian behavior and training which focus on choice and relationship based techniques https://iaate.org/ https://naturalencounters.com/ https://avian-behavior.org/ -- Follow me here : https://www.instagram.com/alwaysbebirdin_podcast/ Donate to the podcast here : https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AlwaysBeBirdin

It's been a while, but, we’re back with the first episode of the second year of the Always Be Birdin' podcast with a vengeance. In episodes past, I called attention to the National Audubon Society article in Politico where there was accusations of racism, sexism and retaliation within the organization and I asked why isn't anyone talking more about this seeing as National Audubon is considered THE go to for all things conservation and birds.  This episode has been and remains to be my most downloaded episode, but what's changed? Since then, third party law firm, Morgan & Lewis put out their findings which called for a redistribution of power, the Union, Audubon for All, was birthed and the then Executive Director, David Yarnold, has left the organization. Other non-profit environmental organizations such as Defenders of Wildlife have followed suit and are also unionizing.     Today I bring back two of my favorite people and past guests, Rosie Sanchez of Defenders of Wildlife and Tykee James of National Audubon, to address the question... "why unionize?" Both Rosie and Tykee talk details of where both organizations are at (neither union has been voluntarily recognized) as well as highlight some of the ways you as listeners can help.   We also get deep in conversation around what it truly means when the people in power positions refuse to listen to their workers, how that is a direct reflection on society as a whole and why it’s important to dismantle white supremacy and fear for a better future for everyone.   This episode is a call back to the discussion Rosie and I had in episode 8 and the issues I bring up about National Audubon in episode 9.   Let’s kick off year 2 of the podcast with a hard hitting BANG! -- Support Audubon For All here : https://www.birdunion.org/ https://www.instagram.com/audubonforall/ Support Defenders United here : https://linktr.ee/DefendersUnited https://www.instagram.com/defenders_staff/ -- Support the podcast by donating here : https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AlwaysBeBirdin  

It's the one year anniversary for the podcast and I just want to say THANK YOU! Thank you so much to all my followers, to everyone who has downloaded and supported me through this wild process. You are the reason I am here a year later and have the ability to continue for another year. It's been an amazing year filled with new friends and amazing opportunities and I can never say thank you enough. You are the reason I am here. THANK YOU. Stay tuned for year two of the Always Be Birdin' Podcast! -- Continue your support here : https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AlwaysBeBirdin Follow on IG here : https://www.instagram.com/alwaysbebirdin_podcast/?hl=en  

TW: Childhood Abuse, Mental Health On this final day of Black Birders Week 2021, I bring an earlier recorded episode from back in February of this year with Nicole Jackson. Join us and get to know one of the co-organizers of Black Birders Week 2020 as we talk about how birding and being outside can help heal and bring tenderness to those parts of us that are suffering and hurting. Nicole tells us her story, how she started to get into birds and birding, we connect over birding in Ohio and all of the many hats she wears today. Nicole is an amazing human doing amazing things like the #BlackInNationalParks initiative that stemmed from her participation in Black Birders Week. Here's an article about Nicole and her initiative #BlackInNationalParksWeek2020 https://gearjunkie.com/news/black-in-national-parks-week-nps and follow https://www.instagram.com/blackinnpsweek/ for this year's #BlackInNationalParksWeek2021 Follow her on IG https://www.instagram.com/nicky.j10/ -- Don't forget to donate at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AlwaysBeBirdin to keep the podcast running and help to ensure I can pay the Black, Indigenous and People of Color that share their stories with you.  Follow at https://www.instagram.com/alwaysbebirdin_podcast/  

On this 6th day of Black Birders Week 2021, @blackafinstem has asked us to bridge the gap between past, present and future of birding. For this idea in particular, I bring you Tykee James, co-organizer of the Freedom Birders project. This project is built on the blueprint of the Freedom Riders who were Civil Rights activists who rode on buses throughout the segregated south to protest the non-enforcement of desegregated public buses. Freedom Birders seeks to change the way we bird in America and is also inspired by Black Birders Week 2020 and the Black Lives Matter Movement. Join Tykee and I as we jump into the deep end and discuss the Freedom Birders project, where it came from, why it's necessary and what it could look like for the future of birding and racism in America.  One of the most important aspects of Freedom Birders is education. Join The Birdhouse for more https://freedombirders.org/ Follow the movement on IG https://www.instagram.com/freedombirders/ -- Don't forget to donate at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AlwaysBeBirdin to keep the podcast running and help to ensure I can pay the Black, Indigenous and People of Color that share their stories with you.  Follow at https://www.instagram.com/alwaysbebirdin_podcast/

Today I have the pleasure of chatting with Courtney Akinosho, Founder and CEO of Black Girls Bird, a wonderful organization whose mission is to provide Black and Indigenous non-men of all ages access to nature while promoting holistic well-being utilizing the joy of birding and photography. Courtney opens up about the origin of her organization, why it is so deeply important to her and we can take pain and turn it into positivity. Day 5 of Black Birders Week centers safety in the outdoors for Black people. Courtney and I speak candidly, openly and deeply about how nature is often weaponized by white men, white women and Black men and how we can't have the conversation about safety in the outdoors without centering Black women's experiences and voices and what it looks like to truly have the conversation in a deep and meaningful way without hiding and tiptoeing around the true dangers outside.  Be sure to visit https://blackgirlsbird.org/ and follow Courtney at https://www.instagram.com/blackgirlwwings/ -- Don't forget to donate at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AlwaysBeBirdin to keep the podcast running and help to ensure I can pay the Black, Indigenous and People of Color that share their stories with you.  Follow at https://www.instagram.com/alwaysbebirdin_podcast/

We are celebrating day 4 of Black Birders Week 2021 and my guest today is Indigo Goodson. Indigo stay in da flow in her ever present social media where she shares her birding stories and advocacy for the Black community. Join us as we talk anti-conformity through fashion in birding, finding joy in the little-big moments out in the field and why it's imperative to listen to the black experience and hold it valid despite differing experiences. Follow her on IG at https://www.instagram.com/indigoindaflow/ and read her latest article with Medium here https://medium.com/nappy-head-club/i-flew-across-the-globe-to-finally-blend-in-f227466d0b5d -- Don't forget to donate at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AlwaysBeBirdin to keep the podcast running and help to ensure I can pay the Black, Indigenous and People of Color that share their stories with you.  Follow at https://www.instagram.com/alwaysbebirdin_podcast/

In celebration of Black Birders Week and the many identities and activities in the birding world, I chat with Day Scott. Day is a celebrated bird photographer, writer and naturalist. Today we chat about nature in LA, why it's important to show up differently for bipoc youth in the outdoors, traumatic brain injuries and the joy and the pain that Day has found in utilizing birds for healing.  Be sure to visit Day's website here https://www.thewildernessgoddess.com/ and follow her on IG at https://www.instagram.com/thewildernessgoddess/ -- Don't forget to donate at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AlwaysBeBirdin to keep the podcast running and help to ensure I can pay the Black, Indigenous and People of Color that share their stories with you.  Follow at https://www.instagram.com/alwaysbebirdin_podcast/