In this edition of Straight Talk, editor-in-chief Kristin Hostetter sits down with Teresa Baker, co-founder of the Outdoor CEO Diversity Pledge to discuss how recent events have created an overwhelming surge in interest in the pledge.
Here are some soundbites from Baker:
- We do not practice the call out culture, we practice the call in culture.
- We’ve had 60,000 hits in two weeks (to the Outdoor CEO Diversity Pledge).
- I know this isn’t easy work.
- The most powerful thing this industry can do it use its voice. Period.
- I didn’t see enough faces that look like mine around the table of environmental protection and that is my ultimate goal: to engage more people in that fight.
- Stay the course! Don’t let this moment—and your commitment—die down.
- In five years, I’m doing away with The Pledge. I want people to be automatically doing this work so The Pledge is no longer needed.
- I screw up every day. I say stuff I shouldn’t say. But I keep trying to become a better person at this work because I understand that I speak to a larger audience.
- As a collective, we’ll put these pieces together and kick ass moving forward. We all play a role, no matter how small of a role you feel you play, you play one. And all those rolls coming together will make the outdoor industry better.