Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner
Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner was an African-American inventor who created several life-changing devices. Learn about her groundbreaking inventions and legacy.
Reuben Ruby
Learn about the life and legacy of Reuben Ruby, a prominent 19th-century African American leader, abolitionist, and entrepreneur.
Paul Laurence Dunbar
Explore the life and triumphs of Paul Laurence Dunbar, an influential African American poet and writer who overcame racial barriers and left a lasting impact on American literature through his powerful works, despite battling racism and personal hardships.
Mary Ellen Pleasant
Mary Ellen Pleasant was a self-made millionaire and leading abolitionist who rose to fame and suffered infamy in San Francisco.
McKinley Thompson Jr
McKinley Thompson Jr broke the color barrier as the first black American to work for a major auto manufacturer when Ford Motor Company hired him in 1956.
Dr. Kassandra Ford
Dr. Kassandra Ford is a postdoctoral researcher who studies the evolution of electric fishes from South America and Africa. She is also an avid birder.
Dr. Mamie Parker
Dr. Mamie Parker has been a professional fish and wildlife biologist whose conservation work has protected various fish, birds, and other wildlife species.
Christian Cooper
Christian Cooper is a board member of the National Audubon Society, who, on May 25, 2020, filmed a racist incident he endured in Central Park while birding.
J. Drew Lanham
J. Drew Lanham is an avid birder, Master Teacher, and Certified Wildlife Biologist who teaches wildlife ecology at Clemson University.
Brianna Amingwa
Brianna Amingwa is an avid birder and the education supervisor at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, the first urban wildlife refuge in the U.S.
Tolga Aktas
Tolga Aktas is a conservation biologist, environmental photojournalist, and writer whose primary interests are wildlife biology, ecology, rewilding, and conservation.
Timothy Joe
Timothy Joe is an award-winning self-taught painter from Greensboro, Alabama. He became an avid birder in 2018 when his family partnered with Alabama Audubon to offer birding tours on their 200-acre farm.
Danielle Belleny
Danielle Belleny is a wildlife biologist who co-organized the first annual #BlackBirdersWeek to highlight the efforts of black wildlife enthusiasts and amplify black birders.
Alex Troutman
Alex Troutman is a wildlife biologist and birder who has worked with endangered species and encourages future generations to pursue a career in biology.
Corina Newsome
Corina Newsome is a wildlife conservationist who connects people with nature through birds and communicates ways humans can help conserve them.
Nicole Jackson
Nicole Jackson is a lover of nature and the outdoors and sees bird watching as a means of connecting with self and community. She is one of the co-organizers of #BlackBirdersWeek.
Tykee James
Tykee James has been a member of the birding community since his late teens, and he helped organize the first #BlackBirdersWeek in 2020.
Hot Springs and Blacks
During the Jim Crow segregation era, a coveted spa city named Hot Springs was home to black employees who served in white bathhouses and helped stoke the city's fame.
Captain Robert Smalls
Robert Smalls was born into slavery in 1839 but escaped with his family and a crew of other enslaved persons during the American Civil War. He eventually became a sea captain, a politician, businessman, and publisher.
