Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

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

The Museum of PR and the NY chapter of the Hispanic Public Relations Association are teaming for their 3rd annual salute to Latino PR professionals. The goal is to make sure current PR pros recognize the contributions of Latino communicators to the history of PR.

Communicators who love what they do often speak of good PR as storytelling. To that end, some of Morrison’s greatest quotes help distill what makes strong storytelling tantamount to good communication—bridging the distance between writer and reader, between us and them. Like good communication, good storytelling creates an authentic connection with your audience that cannot be shaken. Here’s a look at some of Toni Morrison’s most powerful quotes on storytelling.

While celebrity and fan support never hurts when fighting for a cause, the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team appearances inspired real media coverage. The publicity also sparked motion toward possible change in a lawsuit filed by the team against the U.S. Soccer Federation over gender discrimination. Moving the needle at a highly-publicized national level could also ignite change regarding pay for all industries, including the ever-present public relations gender wage gap.

Nike has doubled-down on its relationship with Kaepernick by taking his advice and deciding to pull the release of its limited Air Max 1 Quick Strike Fourth of July shoe, which was to be released this week to commemorate Independence Day. For communicators wondering what a true spokesperson partnership should look like, here are some teachable takeaways.

If “purpose” is to last as one of PR’s top buzzwords, brands need to step up their game. Already in the past few weeks we’ve seen Nike forced to adjust its purpose concerning treatment of pregnant spokespeople. Now Google, which espouses free speech, among other lofty values, is warning staff there will be repercussions should they protest as Google employees during this weekend’s Pride festivities in San Francisco. Apparently for Google, free speech has its limits.

Nur Ashour, founder of cooking blog Catastrophic Cook, took to Twitter over the weekend to report that she was harassed “for wearing a hijab.” The incident occurred at a Dallas Starbucks. At first glance, it might seem to be a case of a brand being dragged into a potential crisis. Going deeper, that’s not quite it. Ashour’s complaint is against the woman who harassed her, but also includes Starbucks employees who, she alleges, did not come to her aid.