Missed Opportunities: Is the hunting and outdoor industry purposely overlooking opportunities to build diversity and inclusion in America?

America has a long and well documented history of omitting minorities from the hunting and outdoor scene. Many believe that we minorities do not have an interest in hunting, or that we cannot afford the basic equipment needed to participate in an activity that we have done since the beginning of time. With the influx of attention being given to outdoor diversity, inclusion, and equity (DEI), and with the abundance of funds made available for these causes, it appears that everyone is talking about diversity, instead of taking actions to achieve results.?As a Black hunter and mentor who's been proactively advocating for true diversity, equity, and inclusion among America's hunters and outdoorsmen since 2010, I have learned that the hunting and outdoor industry is missing out on critical opportunities to build diversity, inclusion, and brand loyalty among minority outdoorsmen.

From time to time, we have to stop and ask ourselves "What are we doing, and is it really working?" This is especially true when it comes to building diversity and inclusion. We all know how easy it is to resort back to doing what we've always done, or to cater only to our core customers, but in doing so, we miss opportunities to progress. ?DEI has become industry buzzwords that many proclaim, and you'd be hard pressed to find a mission or ethics statement from a company that do not mention these three words. Occasionally, a photo or commercial comes along that shows a person of color in the outdoors, but this alone is not enough to move the needle.

So, are the industry's efforts currently working? Well, not as good as they should be. Afterall, we’ve been spinning our wheels for more than a decade on this subject. If you live long enough, you'll see things for what they really are, and see the trends that occur within the industry. You will also hear delaying speech such as “It’s a marathon, not a sprint” or “It takes time”. ?These things are often said as a form of expectation management to convey the fact that building outdoor diversity is going to be a long and drawn-out process. In reality, it doesn't take that long. When I first came onto the scene in 2010 as an advocate of hunting and outdoor diversity, I was sold hook, line, and sinker on the idea that the hunting industry was finally making a change to close the "diversity gap". “Diversity Gap” was the buzzword back in 2010. But as the years ticked by, I realized that nothing was happening other than talk. When I retired from the U.S Army in 2016 and decided to make hunting and outdoor diversity a lifelong devotion, I thought that I could make a difference in increasing the diversity among America's hunters. Three years later in 2019 when I launched N.onT.ypical Outdoorsman TV (#nontypicaloutdoorsmantv), the first outdoor show to air on Pursuit Channel with a Black producer and host, I thought for sure that I had hit a homerun in delivering a platform that would close the "diversity gap", and inspire thousands of minorities to start hunting.? The first season was well received with more than 60,000 households across the nation tuning in to watch the show during its best month on air. The show was well received by both White and Black audiences alike.? Outdoor television had never seen anything like this, and one would think that the hunting industry would have jumped at an opportunity to reach an underrepresented market. Nope. I was in for a big surprise, and disappointment, as each of my requests for sponsorship and endorsement went unanswered from the hunting and outdoor industry. Even the conservation groups at the time who had been talking about finding ways to close the “Diversity gap” declined to support me. This was not too surprising though, as previous Black hunters with budding television shows had faced the same ill-fate when requesting support from the industry. So, I was not the first to face the proverbial brick wall of resistance when it comes to getting buy-in and support from the hunting and outdoor industry.

In 2022, we are right back at square one with the talk of how to create outdoor diversity, equity, and inclusion. These are the buzzwords today in 2022 and it seems as they, the industry, just cannot get it together. Maybe they do not want to get it together. Perhaps they like having a never-ending conversation with no positive results in sight. What has gotten better is the art of talking the talk, versus walking the walk-solving the issue. The hunting, outdoor, and conservation industries have become experts at talking the talk. I have attended conferences, Zoom calls, podcasts, you name it, where the topic has been about how the industry can get more people of color involved in the outdoors. The same talk that was taking place in 2010. I have talked to exhaustion on how the problem can be solved. In 2021 I published an article in Outdoor Life magazine (Why We’re Failing to Recruit African American Hunters (and How to Fix It) (outdoorlife.com) where I outlined what needs to be done, step by step, to make the outdoors more diverse. It seems as if my advice has fallen onto deaf ears. I have also offered my services to work with organizations to help them fix their diversity issues, but few accepted the offer.? The ones that did accept the offer experienced results that have never been seen before within their organization. Proof that taking a different approach works! ?Afterall, I am from the same audience, the same demographic, that the industry says it's trying to reach, and I know the intricacies of building rapport and influence with the minority community. So, it was wise to let me help them.? However, the industry is still struggling to produce measurable results with outdoor diversity. Why?

As hard of a pill as it may be to swallow, the hunting and outdoor industry must realize that they do not have the solution nor the capability to getting more minorities involved in hunting and nature. If they did, it would have been done a long time ago.? We as minorities have the power and ability to get our communities involved. Look at the photo that accompanies this article. These kinds of results are rarely achieved by White hunters and organizations; and this is just a small sampling of photos taken over the past years. Some were taken long before DEI became a buzzword. Typically, when it comes to photos from a hunt, we only see one face of color, two if we’re lucky. This is not said to diminish the efforts of the White outdoorsmen within the industry who do due diligence to foster diversity, but it is to show proof of what can happen when the right person is brought in to build diversity. Why isn’t the hunting industry doing more? On one hand they acknowledge that hunters are declining, but on the other hand they show little interest in replacing these declining numbers with hunters from other ethnicities. ?The thought of minorities leading the charge to get more minorities involved in hunting and the outdoors may be seen as an infringement of power, or against the beliefs of some within the industry. However, this is exactly what needs to happen if we are to ever get off of home base. ?Think about it. Who would be best for teaching the Navajo language to the Navajo people? The State of New Mexico, or the Navajo tribe?

Perhaps some may not have realized it, but America’s hunting industry is not very diverse. Minority hunters are terribly underrepresented and seldom shown in America. We are out there by the hundreds of thousands, maybe millions; we just are not shown or supported. Personally, I do not believe that it is a coincidence that we are not seeing more minorities on television, in magazines, marketing firearms, or marketing hunting gear. Instead, we have been largely dismissed, marginalized, and treated more like a novelty item.? Think about this. A hunter from the minority community can watch television or read magazines all day long and never see a person that looks like them. Yet they can flip through the same magazine or hunting channel and see White hunter, after White hunter, after White hunter. Why is this? No disrespect towards White hunters, but why are the hunting and outdoor industries so lopsided? Some would say that Blacks and other people of color simply aren't interested, but this is a lie. For example, over the weekend I attended an outdoor event where the audience was 97% Black. I had a booth set up at the venue and over the course of seven hours, 33 people, Black people, stopped by to sign up to learn about hunting opportunities. Some were brand new and had never hunted, but they were eager to learn. I will argue that the hunting and outdoor industries, along with many conservation organizations, are missing vital opportunities to bring diversity and inclusion to the American outdoors. It seems as if DEI and all of the funding that's associated with it has become a lucrative business for some, where people are judged based on how well they #talkthetalk instead of how well they are solving the issue of diversity. I have often wondered, and asked aloud, how can I as one man with a shoestring budget, and no resources, outperform companies with million-dollar budgets and endless resources? How am I able to find, introduce, and teach people of color how to hunt, take them on hunts- and produce results, when the hunting and outdoor industry is still stuck on home base, struggling to figure out how to get it done. One would think that a firearm company, a clothing company, a scope company, outdoor organization, a hunting store, decoy company, the hunting industry as a whole, would pull their heads out of the sand, see that some of us are actually moving the needle towards more diversity, and partner with us.? But nope, that is not happening. ?Instead, the industry seems to support the status quo, then say “Oh, they’re (minorities) just aren’t interested”. Some have surmised that the talk of hunting and outdoor diversity is just that. Talk. Having been part of the conversation for the past 12 years, I tend to agree. With the invention of YouTube and social media, it can be understood how some companies are overwhelmed with requests for support, or sponsorship, and unsure of who is a viable choice to help them in their diversity efforts.? It can be hard to determine who is sincere and capable of producing results, who is in it for the money, and who is just looking for the photo op.

Again, I will argue that the hunting and outdoor industries are missing opportunity after opportunity to achieve results.? Since 2010 I have introduced roughly 200-300 people to hunting, shooting, and firearms, with an average of 30-40 people introduced each year. They all need, or are interested in buying a firearm. While these numbers may sound impressive, they obviously are not enough to attract a firearms sponsor or partner. Again, others like me have faced similar rejections. Yet, there are those who do not reach anyone, make zero impact on the diversity among America’s shooters, and raise question as to whether they can get people to buy the product, yet they have firearm partners. Hmmm. One would think that a manufacture would be super-excited about getting their rifle, shotgun, or muzzleloader into a untapped, but willing to purchase demographic. Right? No! Absolutely no! Having introduced as many people as I have to firearms. I can assure you that companies are missing out on building brand loyalty among the minority community, the same kind of brand loyalty that exists with Ford and Toyota. ??????

At the end of the day, we have to get off of home base, stop using DEI as a rhetorical topic, and the hunting and outdoor industry must get on board with those of us that are making leaps in bounds in creating diversity. I strongly recommend that the industry endorses and supports more than one of us.? The time is over for having one Black person as the “token” for the organization. Instead, it would be beneficial for an organization or company to support and show several Black hunters together, which is something that is almost unheard of in America and has its own stigmatized and well-documented history.? As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, and the above picture speaks volumes as to what can be achieved if only the industry was more sincere about creating and showcasing diverse hunters and outdoorsmen. ?Is the hunting and outdoor industry purposely choosing not to support minority hunters and outdoorsmen? That question is best answered by those that are in charge of the hunting and outdoor industries. Actions speak louder than words, and it is critical for organizations to realize this. It is also critical for more companies to provide funding for those that are frontrunners in creating diversity. How is it possible that a handful of individual Black outdoorsmen can outperform the industry juggernauts when it comes to creating outdoor diversity? We often do it without the financial backing and support of the industry.? Those of us that are the frontrunners in creating diversity among America’s hunters and outdoorsmen do it because we see the inadequacies, underrepresentation, and untold stories of those in our communities.? We see the joy and excitement that comes across a person’s face when they get a proper introduction to shooting or harvesting their first deer. We do it because we have the talent and passion for bringing those that look like us into the outdoors.? Last month in June, I gave my final presentation on the need to increase “outdoor diversity". I asked, “Why are we still talking about this topic instead of enjoying the fruits of our labor, talking about the results?” ?The sad truth is that there were not many results to highlight.? So, after talking about outdoor diversity for 12 years and not seeing many results, other than my own, and those of one or two others, I have come to the pitiful conclusion that #talkischeap , and we should be much farther along with having diverse content, diverse ambassadors, diverse hunting experiences, instead of still digging our heels in at home plate, waiting for the perfect pitch to come.

Do you think that the Hunting and Outdoor Industries are overlooking opportunities to build outdoor diversity and inclusion in America? ??