Worth The Watch

The Black Falconer: A Documentary Showcasing The Real Power of Connection

What better way to celebrate Black Birder Week than with a nature stroll and a film about a Black man who loves hawks?

It’s Black Birding Week and boy do we have a film for you. Rodney Stotts, above, is one of a handful of Black falconers in the nation and he is on a mission to save the birds and probably us too in the process. He is all about second chances: for raptors, for abandoned land, for abandoned high school drop outs.

The Falconer is an appropriate film to watch any time, but especially during the Black Birding Week, which runs until June 5. This week is the birding community’s response to Central Park Karen, who made headlines for calling the police after lobbing false accusations at a Black bird watcher in New York City. She also made headlines again last week for suing her employer, who fired her after video of her ridiculous, racist tirade made the cable news rounds.

Here’s the thing. For Black people, bird watching is already normalized. However, it’s time for everyone else to see that men like Stotts are not an oddity, but the norm. This film helps. Plus, it’s lovely and a nice respite from the R-rated Netflix and Hulu shows you probably devoured all Memorial Day weekend.

The film airs on the WORLD Channel, which is the new name for your old PBS World cable station. Also if you are down for the cause, add your story to the #BlackInNature hashtag that will be in use all week.