BLACK AF IN STEM WANTS YOU TO FLY FREE WITH US FOR BLACK BIRDERS WEEK 2026: “FLYWAYS & FREEDOM: ADVOCACY, ACTION, AND THE FUTURE”

We’re building a movement where birds and our people can move freely…no borders, no boundaries!

March 15, 2026 — There’s something real about watching a hawk cut through the sky over your block, or seeing a flock of warblers touch down in a city park after flying thousands of miles. It hits different. It reminds you that movement is life. That finding a place to rest isn't a privilege—it’s instinct. Nature doesn't check for the lines we drew on a map, so why should we?

That’s the energy we’re bringing this year. Black AF in STEM is opening up the circle to partner organizations, allies, and everyone trying to do the work. We’re kicking off Black Birders Week 2026 "Flyways & Freedom: Advocacy, Action, and the Future" from May 24 to May 30, 2026. This year, we’re honoring the pathways birds have always followed, and we’re asking the hard question: what could freedom look like if we moved like they do, without all the barriers?

We’re reaching out with hope and a clear purpose. The fight to protect our birds, our green spaces, and our neighbors’ dignity isn’t a solo mission. It’s a collective effort, and we need everyone at the table. We need your voice, whether you’re speaking from a trailhead or from your block. We have to see the thread that connects a disappearing wetland to a displaced family. We have to understand how a border wall is just another version of the message communities have heard for generations: that you don’t belong.

This Theme Hits Close to Home
Birds move because they have to. Their whole existence is an act of faith—faith that there’s somewhere to rest, something to eat, a way through a land they’ve never seen. They follow the paths their ancestors laid down. Meanwhile, our communities—Black, Brown, immigrant, displaced—we’re still out here running into walls built to keep us out, keep us separated, keep us contained.

This year’s theme isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about building stronger support systems, and getting brave enough to ask the real questions, together.

• Why can a bird cross a border that a person can’t?

• Why are the same systems breaking up bird habitats also breaking up our neighborhoods?

• What could environmental justice actually look like if we built it around the right of every living thing to move, to belong, to thrive?

These aren’t questions we can answer alone. This is an invitation. A call to link up, to build together, and to become the people we’ve been waiting for.

WAYS TO CONNECT AND BUILD COMMUNITY

Real change doesn’t happen when folks just drop a logo on a webpage and call it a day. It happens when organizations actually show up for each other with genuine curiosity, sharing what you got, and being open to listening and learning something new. Throughout Black Birders Week 2026, we're inviting community, partners, and allies to plug in in ways that fit your vibe and your capacity:

• Cohost a Conversation: Pull up for panel discussions that bring together ecologists, therapists, conservationists, immigration rights advocates, environmental justice leaders, and community storytellers. This is where we listen, we learn, and we find that common ground.

• Lead a Bird Walk with Purpose: Host a walk that gets into the real talk about belonging, access, and how our people have been historically excluded from outdoor spaces for too long. These aren’t just bird walks. This is a moment to sit with the question: Who truly feels safe in nature alongside others, and who has been left behind?

• Facilitate an Advocacy Workshop: Drop your knowledge on the policies affecting migratory birds, migrating people, and the spaces they share. Help the community turn talk into action.

• Amplify Stories: Run a storytelling workshop or give a platform to Black birders, immigrant community members, and displaced peoples to share how they’ve found joy, refuge, and connection in the natural world. Let them tell it.

• Just Show Up: Sometimes the strongest move you can make is just being there. Pull up to our events. Listen to the conversations. Let your organization be seen standing with us, in community.

Come through! Let’s lock in and make some moves!

For Media & Partnership inquiries, please contact:

Black AF In STEM

blackafinstem@gmail.com