About Hunters of Color
Who We Are
Hunters of Color is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We are the only nationwide hunting nonprofit led by BIPOC, for BIPOC. We are working on increasing BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) participation in hunting for the sake of conservation, food sovereignty, and to preserve our ancestral traditions.
In August of 2020, HOC was founded by three friends: Jimmy Flatt, Thomas Tyner, and Lydia Parker. Their goal was to make "The Outdoors for Everyone." The trio saw a need for more inclusivity and equity in the hunting community based on their personal experiences and demographic statistics.
As hunters, we know how to do uncomfortable things. We have a big mountain to climb 'til we reach racial equity in hunting, but together, we know we can do anything. So lace up your boots and let's get to climbing!
HOC has three guiding pillars:
Mentorship
As a BIPOC-led organization, we are aware of the unique barriers to entry that people of color face in hunting. This allows us to create culturally specific programming that you won't find anywhere else.
Our Mentorship Program is community-based and driven by anti-racism and hands-on experience. Our goal is to meet people where they are at by designing racially literate and culturally diverse curricula and events.
Conservation
Conservation is at the heart of all we do. Our community events include river clean-ups, habitat restoration, and education of Indigenous forestry practices.
You can't care about something you don't know about; by reconnecting BIPOC to the outdoors through hunting, we create passionate conservationists.
Education
We educate the public about the benefits of hunting as it pertains to conservation, the importance of diversity, and the history of race and hunting. We also dismantle stereotypes about what it means to be a hunter through authentic representation.
Our BIPOC communities learn to hunt while instilling the courage to reclaim their ancestral traditions and empower their self-sustenance by equipping them with the skills they need to procure sustainable meat.
Land Acknowledgement
Hunters of Color is based out of Corvallis, Oregon. This is the ancestral hunting lands and home of the Chepenafa band of the Kalapuya.
The Kalapuya, along with all of the other tribes in Western Oregon, were debilitated, humiliated, starved, hunted, and forcibly removed from their homelands by the US Army via the “Oregon Trail of Tears.” Even in the face of this attempted genocide, the Kalapuya were resilient, and their descendants are still alive today because of their strength. They are now a part of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde.
To see CTGR’s current projects, click here.
HOC is committed to respecting CTGR's sovereignty on these lands, and on all Indigenous lands upon which we work, recreate, and reside.