> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.changeout.org/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # The birds that never sang - URL: https://www.changeout.org/birds-that-never-sang/ - Published: 2023-05-19T06:57:24.000Z - Updated: 2024-11-05T12:19:11.000Z - Description: Lost birds and the history of woke - Author: Lucy Caldicott - Tags: blog I was really disturbed [to read](https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2023/may/britain-has-lost-73-million-birds-over-the-last-50-years.html?ref=changeout.org) that Britain has lost 73 million birds over the last 50 years, pretty much my lifetime. That's 73 million birds who never sang: [cuckoos](https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/cuckoo/?ref=changeout.org), turtle doves, song thrushes, some of the most distinctive, beautiful songs, honed over millennia, never to be heard. It made me so sad to read this. [Here's](https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/so-many-ways/?ref=changeout.org) how you can help. --- **Be woke, kids** The word "woke" troubles me. It troubles Kathy Burke too and she had [a little rant](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/previews/1PXn1TTm?ref=changeout.org) about it the other week. (Apologies, contains swears). "Being woke" as a term came from African American slang meaning becoming aware of injustice. Here's an interview with Lead Belly about his 1938 song [Scottsboro Boys](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrXfkPViFIE&ref=changeout.org). Lead Belly uses the phrase "stay woke" right at the very end of the interview. The song is about the infamous miscarriages of justice against a group of young black men, falsely accused of raping two white women in Alabama in 1931\. More info about this case [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottsboro%5FBoys?ref=changeout.org). But the term is now banded about as an insult. Remember [the Guardian-reading, tofu-eating, wokerati](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/video/2022/oct/18/suella-braverman-blames-guardian-reading-tofu-eating-wokerati-for-disruptive-protests-video?ref=changeout.org)? Anyway, [here's an article](https://www.naacpldf.org/woke-black-bad/?ref=changeout.org) about the genesis and evolution of the term you might find interesting. **Interesting and useful links** 🖇️ [Some useful tips](https://amivora.substack.com/p/10-tips-for-moderating-a-panel-or?utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fterm=2023-04-13) for moderating a panel. Some really good tips [here](https://www.diverseeducators.co.uk/being-comfortable-being-uncomfortable/?ref=changeout.org) for tackling uncomfortable conversations. **Day of the Week 📆** As part of Dying Matters Awareness Week, I moderated a panel about improving end of life care, how we talk about death and loss, how care is funded, and how all the different bits of care can work better together. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/57/d9/57d97f92-56a7-4c97-8c12-ac77d809cbf1/content/images/2023/05/FWN-Good-grief-and-how-to-get-it.jpg) It was a really positive discussion and I'm looking forward to doing more work on this with Marie Curie. Thank you to all the panellists. **What am I reading? 📚** I'm reading a lot about participation and lived experience for a project I'm working on at the moment. [Here are some materials](https://www.turn2us.org.uk/Working-With-Us/Co-production-and-involvement-at-Turn2Us?ref=changeout.org) from Turn2Us. I'd welcome any other suggestions of good practice. **What am I watching?** 👀 [A round table conversation](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBFvppAL48U&ref=changeout.org) with LGBTQ+ young people. It's very moving and educational to hear these stories. **What am I listening to?👂** Marcus Ryder discusses the SNP's new leader and attitudes to disability on [The Shelina Show](https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/episodes/7DrfKQM/?ref=changeout.org). **Joy-giving things 😍** Exploring world heritage sites from your armchair on UNESCO'S [website](https://artsandculture.google.com/story/UAURf5dVbFaD3g?ref=changeout.org). Have a great weekend, everyone. Lucy --- If you like reading my newsletter, subscribe and never miss an issue. [Subscribe](https://www.changeout.org/#/portal/signup/free) Share it with your friends so they can read it too 📣 All past issues of the newsletter are [here](https://www.changeout.org/) and available to all subscribers. I write this newsletter because I believe in sharing progressive ideas that help us work towards a truly equal world. Thank you!