Tired of the lack of diversity in outdoor sports? This organization is working to change that with Angling for All.
Brown Folks Fishing (BFF) is a community-based organization that focuses on creating community for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in fishing and its industry. Today, BFF announced its Angling for All Pledge in partnership with Orvis, the inaugural pledgee.
The pledge is designed to help brands, organizations, guides, athletes, and outfitters identify racial and cultural blind spots and help eliminate barriers to access within the sport. It also aims at connecting and expanding a brand or individual’s angling community.
“We are honored and grateful to have such a strong partnership with Tracy and the team at Brown Folks Fishing,” Orvis President Simon Perkins said. “Their mission to build capacity, access, resources, visibility, and a solid community for anglers of color makes the sport stronger. We are excited to sign the pledge as an acknowledgment of our commitment to this critical work.”
Essentially, the pledge provides a space for anglers of all backgrounds to connect as well as a rubric for increasing diversity in the outdoors. Orvis will be working closely with BFF to move its staff and executive teams through the Angling for All training.
Angling for All: About the Pledge
“Black, Indigenous, and people of color are a growing demographic in sport fishing. Yet, it is clear at all levels of the sport fishing industry that BIPOC are grossly underrepresented,” wrote the BFF team.
The Angling for All Pledge requires those who join to complete a curriculum and create a plan of action. (And it’s not just brands; individuals can join too.)
Members of Brown Folks Fishing will lead the curriculum, which will consist of trainings to address things like diversity across its staff. It will also provide community and diversity resources to guides and outfitters.
A little more about Brown Folks Fishing: “We seek to reimagine fishing as a gateway to conservation. We reclaim and lift up the narratives that Black and Brown people have with deep roots in fishing, and connection to land, water, and community.”
To learn more about the organization, visit its website here.
