Historically, white people have left no stone unturned when it comes to promoting the false narrative of their superiority. Perhaps nothing is more telling of this nasty racist habit than “discovering” things that already exist and naming them after themselves. This foolishness is for the birds – literally.
Seriously, white racists named hundreds of birds after themselves! There are birds officially named after colonizers, enslavers, and Confederate leaders.
But wait – why does this even matter?
First of all, many of these bird names don’t help identify birds at all, so they’re worse than just offensive. Also, the Black birdwatching community is growing and becoming more and more inclusive. Finally, naming birds after white people – when the birds already had indigenous names – is another form of colonialism! But there’s another reason.
The names of birds are used to honor and hold sacred the values of the people who named them. As we begin to have more honest conversations about race in this country, we should ensure every aspect of our society – even including the names of birds – is free of white supremacy.
Names carry history and help shape our society. Naming issues such as oppression, microaggressions, and white supremacy help us challenge discriminatory systems more effectively. No matter how small names may seem, oppression ISN’T for the birds!