Backcountry Hunters & Anglers

[cjjcb]

Well done BHA…
Glad I’m a member…
Only takes a few morons to soil a heck of a lot of good hard work BHA does.
Thanks for taking this head on.

“This is a hard message to write; however, I do so as an at-large member of BHA’s North American board of directors with the intention of acknowledging an incident that happened at our North American Rendezvous. I write this not as a trite corporate response but as a member of an organization that is committed to making our public lands and waters places where all are truly welcome.

At an event during Rendezvous, an attendee repeatedly used the “N” word in front of one of our Black attendees. Several people witnessed it, but it was not immediately addressed. We have been working to do so in the time that has followed. As a board member of our organization, I feel it is important that we acknowledge this incident. As a Black person, I’m deeply frustrated…but I’m not surprised. 

First and foremost, I want to make it clear that racism has no place in our organization, and we all must take responsibility for creating a safe and inclusive space for everyone. We must acknowledge that incidents like these can be hurtful and alienating to members of our community, and we must commit to doing better.

To do this, we must all learn to speak up when we witness incidents of racism or other forms of discrimination. It is not enough to condemn these behaviors ourselves; we must actively work to create a culture where such behavior is not tolerated. This means intervening when we witness problematic behavior and holding ourselves and others accountable for discriminatory actions. I’ve been in many situations where I witnessed a shocking comment and was flat-footed myself. Over the years I’ve learned to hold the space and address those comments on the spot. Let me just say, what matters more is not what you say, but the fact that you address it. A simple, “That is racist and not welcome here” would suffice.

We have a 30,000-member organization, and we’re bound to have a few *censored*es. One person’s actions and words do not reflect who we are as an organization. But how we respond to them reflects our values. We can’t control people’s behavior, but we can control how we respond to bad behavior. We’re currently evaluating internally how we give people the tools to address these types of situations in the future.

We are conducting an internal review of our policies and procedures, including our code of conduct, to ensure that they are comprehensive and effective. We also will be providing training and resources for our staff and volunteer leaders to help them recognize and respond to incidents of racism and other forms of discrimination.

If you have questions, please contact me or Katie McKalip, BHA VP of external affairs and communications.

Thank you for your attention to this matter, and thank you, on behalf of BHA’s leadership team, for your support.

Keenan Adams, At-Large Member of the North American Board”

[KFhunter]

Why air dirty laundry here?

If not for this thread I’d have never known.  One pos spewing racial epithets prolly after having been to the beer garden in a convention isn’t exactly news worthy so long as it was handled, and it eventually was, so….. why air it to the public?

We’ve banned members here for much the same, we don’t make posts about it, or air it to nwsportsmen magazine or rokslide

We handle it and move on 

[cjjcb]

Yeah…
Sorry if you feel I’m “Airing dirty laundry”…
Probably best not to talk about it, right?

[KFhunter]

Well I’m not a BHA member so I don’t really care either way, but wasn’t the communication BHA put out addressing this incident for BHA membership?

[cjjcb]

As far as I know, you are correct in the distribution of this info to BHA members…
As a Washington hunter to other Washington hunters on a Washington Hunter forum, I thought this was interesting…

[idaho guy]

Why air dirty laundry here?

If not for this thread I’d have never known.  One pos spewing racial epithets prolly after having been to the beer garden in a convention isn’t exactly news worthy so long as it was handled, and it eventually was, so….. why air it to the public?

We’ve banned members here for much the same, we don’t make posts about it, or air it to nwsportsmen magazine or rokslide

We handle it and move on 

 Unacceptable behavior, but Not really newsworthy, in my opinion. Censored gets drunk and acts like an ass at the campfire? Agreed handle it and move on. BHA should have bigger issues to devote their time too.  Like public access? But I’m not a member either.

[cjjcb]

As a BHA member, I also hope BHA are frying bigger fish, so to speak… Again I found the info interesting…I guess now it’s open to the court of Forum Opinion…
If Wa forum members don’t find it engaging then it drops off the feed in a day and a half…
It is what it is…

[Cylvertip]

I say good on them for getting on the record and out ahead of the rumor mill.  If they get bad press, it's harder to recruit new blood.

 

[Gettin Birdie]

It's a word, everyone is a victim these days, no context, so who knows what happened, can't people handle grievances in private anymore or simply talk to someone, lame, especially all the racial hoaxes going on, gotta create that racism to fit the narrative.  There will always be racists (fractional %) and most people are smart enough to know those people are idiots and should be ignored, it's 2023, civil rights act passed in 64', there's been a black president, etc.  BTW, there are only two genders, pot stirred

[cjjcb]

I say good on them for getting on the record and out ahead of the rumor mill.  If they get bad press, it's harder to recruit new blood.

 

[Skyvalhunter]

Well its good BHA admitted to the lack of judgment by the individual. IMO we have gotten too politically correct with certain things. Besides if you say just "N" word and not the whole thing its pretty much like saying the word anyhow as it just doesnt come out of your mouth. Anyhow I digress.

[salmosalar]

I have no idea why any white guy feels the need in any way to say that word or feels in any way victimized by it not being socially acceptable to do so. I find this mind boggling.

Good for BHA to be up front and act quickly. I appreciate that and I appreciate BHA and the work that they do.

[buckfvr]

Racism against everyone will flourish as long as it continues to be perpetuated by the government for political gain.

[OutHouse]

The uber libs love to point at hunters and sportsmen and say they are just knuckle dragging racist rednecks. I think it was good for them to put something out on this, even if it was just to the members. This way there is a clear record that it was addressed, that its not tolerated, and that the organization is taking it seriously.

[Bullkllr]

I have no idea why any white guy feels the need in any way to say that word or feels in any way victimized by it not being socially acceptable to do so. I find this mind boggling.

Repugnant though may be in any case, I'm not sure we know enough facts to say it happened exactly that way, just saying.