TNB-2018 | Audubon Naturalist Society

On February 28, 2018, the Audubon Naturalist Society (ANS) and its sponsors and partners hosted the second Taking Nature Black Conference at ANS’s headquarters, 8940 Jones Mill Road, Chevy Chase, MD. The conference featured thought-provoking speaker presentations and panels with regional and national environmental leaders. STAY TUNED for videos and photos from presentations by our outstanding guest speakers!

THANK YOU to our generous sponsors; our partners who helped organize and plan the day; our staff, supporters, and volunteers; and our presenters and attendees!

For more information, contact Conference Chair Caroline Brewer at caroline.brewer@anshome.org

Taking Nature Black (part of the Moving Forward Initiative blog series)

By Allison Puglisi for The CorpsNetwork
Ph.D. Candidate, American Studies, Harvard University

On February 28, 2018—the last day of Black History Month—Mustafa Santiago Ali took the floor at the Taking Nature Black conference in Maryland. He had an unusual question for the audience: “By a show of hands, in the last sixty seconds, how many folks have taken a breath of air? Hold your hand up if you’ve taken a breath of air.”

The audience, laughing, raised their hands.

“When we breathe in,” said Ali, “we expect to be receiving something positive to our bodies.” He listed a number of cities with severe air pollution and told the group, “we have far too many communities across our country who are still battling every day for a breath of fresh air.”