Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Linking diversity and inclusion to crisis is not something communicators think of often. Yet, when an organization’s PR team does not reflect the ethnic makeup of its consumers, there is a tremendous opportunity for failed risk assessments. Simply put, less diversity can mean more bad judgement calls

Since they are roughly half the population, women should be quoted about half the time in the media. A recent analysis shows women are cited in content only about one-third of the time, however. With Women’s Day approaching, PR pros can help rectify this issue in a variety of ways, from mentoring to formal industry efforts.

In our monthly collaboration with The Museum of PR, in celebration of the 75th anniversary of PRNEWS, we honor three pioneering women of PR, who not only shaped the profession but also touched the world. This article also celebrates Women’s History Month Women’s Day and the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in the US.

To end Black History Month, we offer the story of Inez Kaiser, the first black woman to own a PR firm in the US. Kaiser was a polymath. A teacher, an activist, a cook book author and an entrepreneur, Kaiser accomplished all this at a time when African-Americans struggled for basic civil rights.

In a wide-ranging address during day 2 of PRNEWS’ Crisis and Measurement Summit in Miami, political strategist Ana Navarro had positive and negative things to say about social media. In the end, though, she believes PR pros have a difficult but important mission to promote truth in messaging. “Don’t give up on the facts,” she said.

You may remember the backlash of #OscarsSoWhite after the 2015 nomination announcements. Many outraged directors, producers and actors, including Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith, boycotted the awards in 2016. How did the 2020 Oscars do on diversity and inclusion? We take a crisis PR perspective to grade last night’s ceremony and the larger issue facing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

In our January 2020 edition, this column began its celebration of Black History Month with a remembrance of Joseph Varney Baker (1908-1993), who is believed to be the first black man to own a PR firm. This month’s edition remembers the first African-American woman to own a PR firm in the U.S.

In observance of Black History Month, we asked Black PR Society president Neil Foote to offer tips communicators can enact right away to promote diversity. Foote argues diversity won’t come to you. PR pros must get out of the office and travel to find diverse employees and recruit them.

Joseph Baker opened his PR firm in 1934 in NY. At the time, depending on where he was, Baker, a black man, might not have been able to vote, enter a restaurant or use public restrooms. When the firm closed some 40 years later, Baker had all those rights and more. Through his position as the first African-American owner of a PR firm, he became a key liaison between the black community and corporate America.

[ Editor’s Note: This is one in a series of articles about the history of PR as part of our celebration of PRNEWS’ 75th anniversary. The series is a partnership with the Museum of Public Relations .] Ask