NYC bird group drops name of illustrator and slave owner Audubon
By KAREN MATTHEWS
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — The conservationist group known as NYC Audubon has changed its name to NYC Bird Alliance to distance itself from the pro-slavery views of ornithologist and illustrator John James Audubon. The name change follows similar moves by Audubon Society chapters in Chicago, Seattle and other cities. The newly named NYC Bird Alliance formed in 1979 and calls itself an independent chapter affiliated with the National Audubon Society. The national group’s board voted last year to keep the Audubon name despite the fact that Audubon was a slave owner and an opponent of abolitionism.
