Because of his racist legacy there is growing movement to distance various “Audubon” Societies from J.J. Audubon. The Seattle, Michigan and Southern Wisconsin Societies have dropped Audubon from their names, calling themselves birding alliances instead.

The Massachusetts Audubon Society and the National Audubon Societies have considered dropping Audubon from their names, but have not yet done so. The first Audubon Society, the Massachusetts Audubon Society, was co-founded by Harriet Hemenway, a Boston Brahmin and daughter of a devoted abolitionist. I think the original use of Audubon’s name, though leveraging his notoriety, was unfortunate due to his racist views.

Maintaining this association with Audubon in the 21st century is clearly the wrong thing to do. Here is why I think it is wrong. Not too many years ago, I-95 in Central Virginia had an exit that led to the death site of Stonewall Jackson. This exit was marked clearly marked with an official brown landmark sign as the “Stonewall Jackson Shrine.” This treatment of Thomas Jackson, a rebel and slaveholder as a saint by the highway department always rubbed me as completely wrong. Clearer heads have prevailed and the exit is currently marked as the “Stonewall Jackson Death site.”

Shouldn’t the remaining “Audubon” Societies take a stand and distance themselves from of J.J. Audubon regardless of his contribution to the science of ornithology? After all, isn’t there some cultural significance to a name?