We look forward to The Museum of Public Relations’ celebration of Black PR History each February. This year’s event was hosted by Deborah Hyman, SVP, Head of Employee Communications & Employer Brand at Wells Fargo, and featured influential Black voices from organizations like the CDC, Humana, Omnicom, and Amazon, among others. Focusing on the theme, “Looking Beyond the Data,” each participant thoughtfully examined recent data and ongoing studies regarding race and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the communications field and discussed actions the industry must take to support advancing Black professionals in PR. It was an evening packed with thoughtful insights and actionable strategies. Here are a couple of our key takeaways.
Communicators are catalysts for a robust and healthy DEI strategy.
Carmella Glover, President at Diversity Action Alliance, and Emily K. Graham, Chief Equity & Impact Officer at Omnicom Group, spoke candidly about the work and changes still needed in communications. Though the industry has improved, there remains a disconnect between DEI and communications strategies. For example, according to research conducted by the Diversity Action Alliance, there has only been a 1% increase in Black representation among PR professionals since 2020.
While there may be multiple factors contributing to the low increase, it is evident that efforts in this realm have been deprioritized over the past couple of years. Glover and Graham agree that to evolve as an industry there must be fundamental purposes, principles, and values around diversity and inclusion within our organizations and strategies.
To identify potential roadblocks, the Diversity Action Alliance is conducting research evaluating chief communications and chief diversity officers' functions and roles and where they intersect in helping advance a company’s DEI efforts throughout the communications field. One solution Glover and Graham discussed is educating communications professionals on what inclusive communications looks like and how it impacts a company’s reputation and audience engagement. Graham believes that “communicators are catalysts for a robust, healthy, and important diversity and inclusion strategy… you can't do it without them.”
Fatigue isn’t an option.
Several speakers addressed the new business buzzword “DEI fatigue,” and its associated risks. As put by Graham, “Fatigue is not an option,” especially for organizations. Marvin Hill, Director of Corporate Communications at The Humana Foundation, addressed why fatigue is settling in surrounding the DEI conversation, mainly because, in many organizations, that’s all it is — a conversation. But a conversation isn’t enough anymore. Kinetra Joseph, Campaign Director at the CDC Foundation, added, “because of all the conversation about DEI, surely that is translating into tangible, actionable programs and initiatives that are going to drive results,” but goes on to describe experiences within the last year that prove this is not always the case.
“In many ways, DEI in the communications world is still the new bright shiny object,” Joseph added. “You can use it for brand purpose, cause-related marketing, and so many other areas, but not necessarily always authentically.” Joseph explained that in the last couple of years, while DEI has supposedly been at the forefront on paper, she’s seen a “bait and switch” of Black talent on a new business pitch, but not on the work itself. Or, in other instances, she’s seen a “hemorrhaging of Black talent with dizzying rates of turnover” within workplaces that don’t have a nurturing culture. Lastly, she mentioned that at a recent awards ceremony, she attended, 75% of the campaigns were centered around some sort of Diversity & Inclusion initiative, yet she counted only one Black professional on stage accepting the award!
The takeaway? It’s imperative for the PR and communications industry to do better — not just talk the talk, but actively practice what we preach.
Making an Impact on the Next Generation of PR Professionals
The panel collectively agreed that it’s up to us as professionals to provide increased mentorship, engage the diverse voices of Gen Z, and make a more vigorous effort to ensure the industry is accessible and inclusive, starting at the college level.
Raoul Davis, Partner at Ascendant Group, began this topic by suggesting that the university pipeline was flawed, while Deborah Hyman (Wells Fargo) admitted there was a lack of accountability at colleges and schools need to do better when it comes to providing career opportunities for minority students before they graduate.
“Many of the young professionals I mentor come to me after they’ve graduated, and yet they haven’t done any internships,” she reflects. She noted that while some students are goal oriented and innately know the value of internships, others need further direction; it’s up to universities to offer better guidance that will give Black and Brown graduates the tools they need to compete and excel when entering the workforce.
“We have to change the way that we’re doing things to accommodate the next generation,” added Nikki Forman, Senior Public Relations Manager at Amazon. “There is a shift that we have to make as professionals in this field to make it more appetizing, to showcase the ways students can be a part of this professional group of people while also maintaining the culture of their generation.”
Put your boots on; we’re climbing!
While we celebrate the success of how far we have come as an industry in DEI, we must never rest on our laurels, always be honest with ourselves about the long road ahead, and remember that this work is still very much in its infancy. Creating diverse and inclusive spaces in PR will undoubtedly result in increased client selection, retention, and satisfaction, in addition to higher quality work being done by employees with different backgrounds, mindsets, and cultural experiences. From setting constant KPIs surrounding internal and external DEI practices to ensuring equitable hiring processes and facilitating candid discussions at our agencies, the key here is AUTHENTICITY. As we work to maintain resilience in the face of fatigue and champion the next generation, we will see long-awaited changes unfold. We can all answer Emily Graham’s (Omnicom) call to “Put your boots on; we're climbing. Let's go!”
- Antonia Donato, Senior Account Executive; Holly Rust, Account Executive