In the spring of 2018, Tracy Nguyen-Chung founded Brown Folks Fishing (BFF), an organization dedicated to cultivating the visibility, representation, and inclusion of people of color in fishing and its industry. Orvis began forging a relationship with the organization later that year and has continued to work with them ever since. Last year, Nguyen-Chung received the 2019 Orvis Breaking Barriers Award at the Orvis Guide Rendezvous in Missoula, Montana.
Today, BFF launches the Angling for All Pledge, aimed at companies in the fishing industry. The Pledge establishes a commitment to addressing racism and inequality throughout a pledgee’s internal culture, consumer-facing behaviors, and broader community. At its core is a curriculum that provides education and resources for brands and organizations to enhance equity and diversity across staff, executive teams, athletes, ambassadors, guides, and throughout the organization’s media and marketing.
Orvis will be the first company to take the pledge.
“We are honored and grateful to have such a strong partnership with Tracy and the team at Brown Folks Fishing,” says Simon Perkins, Orvis president. “Their mission to build capacity, access, resources, visibility, and a solid community for anglers of color makes the sport stronger, and we are excited to sign the pledge as an acknowledgment of our commitment to this critical work. This is an opportunity for us to explore our own blind spots and unconscious biases and an important step forward in Orvis’s history of passion and commitment to access, inclusion, and stewardship in fly fishing.”
Click here to learn more about today’s announcement.
Click here for the Angling for All Pledge page at Brown Folks Fishing.
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