Archive for the ‘African American Women’ Category

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Unsung Heroes in Public Relations History

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

March is Women’s History Month, and this is an appropriate time to highlight some of the women who have made history in the field of public relations. Several scholars have noted the need to expand the history of public relations to include the experiences of women in the civic/social, government, agency, and corporate worlds. This is a small attempt to showcase some historical research about great women who have been practitioners.

Anne Williams Wheaton
She served as the assistant to the director of publicity for the Republican National Committee from 1939 to 1957. In 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower named Wheaton the Associate Press Secretary. She was the first woman to hold that post. She stayed in this position until 1961.

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State of Diversity in Public Relations: Motivated by the Past and Redefining the Future

Friday, February 18, 2011

The following post was originally published on PRSAY.

I have often been asked to speak or to write about my views regarding diversity and public relations arena and while the terms “rogue” and “maverick” have been bandied about in political circles, it is not used widely within the professional services industry – especially public relations.

In an industry where “bad spin”  does not need clothes tossed in a washing machine, public relations has taken some hits and wrong turns in its efforts to diversify. There are those who “spin” the figures to suggest that the signs are positive for inclusion or that the limited progress and event sponsorships reflect success.

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Does a PR Agency Have What I Am Looking For?

Friday, February 4, 2011

Recently, I attended a panel discussion hosted by Flesishman-Hillard entitled: Dialogue on Diversity in the PR Industry. I must admit, I have never been attracted to PR agencies. In fact, I have been scared out of my mind.  I have no idea why. I have never worked at a PR agency. I have heard the good, the bad and the ugly from friends who started their PR careers at agencies, but you hear those stories at any company, so what did I have to be afraid of? Was it the fear of not being accepted in an industry that is not diverse and has no clue of how to change that perception?

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Posted in African American Women, Agencies and Diversity, Multicultural Recruiting | 1 Comment »

No Lucky, We Don’t Go Blonde In Summer

Friday, January 14, 2011

I’m admittedly something of a shopaholic. I’ve gotten my problem under control, but it took some hard work. Just like addicts have to remove themselves from situations that cause them to use, I had to remove myself from situations that caused me to buy. One of my biggest stimuli? Lucky Magazine.

From the beginning Lucky billed itself as the magazine about shopping. And indeed it was, and I was hooked on every issue for years. Over time, I did start to feel some dissatisfaction with the pub, mostly because of the lack of diversity on its pages. Even if the model is there to sell the clothes, its great to see people of all sorts as the backdrop, and Lucky didn’t cut it.

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Why Black Female Professors Should Be Accepted and Not Tolerated

Friday, December 3, 2010

The value of a professor from a diverse ethnic background can be underappreciated and even misunderstood Black women are teaching in public relations classrooms across the country and the data I collected for my thesis proves their value in the classroom.

From the perspective of a student, I know what it’s like to have someone teaching you who comes from a totally different world than you do. Students judge them, question their knowledge and authority and even wonder why they can’t just “be like them.” The same thing happens amongst their colleagues. Their fellow professors wonder why they teach the way they do, speak the way they do and even think the way they do. Many of their colleagues may even heavily scrutinize them for not wanting to change or adopt the ideals and beliefs of mainstream culture.

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