Tykee James
An Advocate for Birds and Racial Justice
Portrait of Tykee James with his spark bird, the Belted Kingfisher (female). Tykee is the Government Affairs Coordinator for the National Audubon Society. He is a passionate advocate for birds and people of color who enjoy birding.
Tykee James is passionate about advocacy, be it in the realm of nature or human society. As Government Affairs Coordinator for the National Audubon Society, he successfully merged those realms. That is evident in his various efforts, including an Audubon article he wrote for #BlackBirdersWeek in 2021. Tykee called for more inclusivity outdoors, where minorities would have access to green spaces sans racial discrimination. He also highlighted the need for more green spaces, as many new and seasoned bird watchers of color lack this infrastructure in their communities. Tykee cited two proposed federal bills aimed at facilitating these outcomes.
Portrait of Tykee James and his spark bird, the Belted Kingfisher. Illustrated by Daniel J. Middleton.
Tykee currently organizes bird walks for members of Congress and Congressional staff. Together with Jeffrey Train, he is co-founder of Freedom Birders, a project that seeks to decolonize birding and share the lessons of liberation through storytelling. But Freedom Birders is the arm of Amplify the Future, of which Tykee is co-chair and co-founder. The stated goal of the movement is to amplify “the future of STEAM and conservation by raising funds in support of historically excluded people with a connection to birds.” Tykee also sits on the boards of directors of the D.C. Audubon Society, Wyncote Audubon Society, the Birding Co-op, Justice Outside, and the IDEAL Committee at the Academy of Natural Sciences at Drexel University.
Tykee James was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on January 21, 1994. Tykee had a natural curiosity as a child. He found joy in reading meteorology and astronomy books and watching National Geographic nature documentaries. But his family relocated a lot when he was young because his father was in the military. Tykee has three brothers. When he was three or four years old, the family moved to the west coast to live on a military base, Fort Irwin, situated midway between Los Angeles, California, and Las Vegas, Nevada, in what Tykee describes as “the middle of nowhere.” A few years later, his parents divorced. Tykee and his brothers then lived with their mom in Racine, Wisconsin.
Rep. Donna Bullock. 195th District / Philadelphia County.
He later lived in two cities in Texas before moving back to Philadelphia, where he completed high school. Four and a half years at Temple University followed. Tykee landed his first job in Philly as an environmental educator. But despite that and his early interest in nature, a career in environmental conservation was not yet a focus. Instead, he entered politics. The local state representative, Donna Bullock—who Tykee supported—needed someone to run her schedule. She found Tykee on Facebook and saw that he was an environmental educator. Bullock reached out to him and asked if he would like to advise her on environmental policy. That was his entrance into the world of environmental advocacy. Suddenly, Tykee found his calling.
Things pick up as far as speed because it happens pretty quickly. I worked in state representative Bullock’s office from the start of 2015. And then my last day was sometime in November 2018, before I started my job at the National Audubon Society, December 3, 2018. Those three years were very formative.”
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Websites:
wildlifeobservernetwork.com
amplifyfhefuture.org
freedombirders.orgTwitter: @Tykee_James
Instagram: @TykeeJames
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This article appears in 12 Modern Black Birders.
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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.