Last week we (virtually) attended the Museum of Public Relations and the Diversity Action Alliance’s event Celebrating Black PR History and let’s just say, wow. The event brought together a stacked line-up of unbelievable speakers and presenters – from agency to in-house, consultants to academics – to talk about personal experiences, how far we’ve come, how far we need to go, and why Black history matters more than ever.
Before getting into some of the key takeaways, the format of the event deserves some praise because unlike your typical webinar this was structured like a mini-conference. The event featured a keynote speech from Charlene Wheeless, Senior Advisor for Equity and Justice, APCO Worldwide; a presentation of "The History of Black History Month: Celebrating Culture and Heritage for Nearly a Century" from Dr. Denise Hill, Professor, Elon University; followed by two back-to-back panels moderated by Dr. Rochelle Ford, Dean of Communications, Elon University and alongside speakers Sabrina Browne, Account Director, Burson Cohn & Wolfe; Board Member, Girl Scouts of America; Troy Blackwell, Jr., Biden/Harris 2020; Candidate for City Council, NYC; Candace Steele-Flippin, CCO, Acuity Brands; Cedric F. Brown, APR, independent consultant; Emily K. Graham, Chief Equity & Impact Officer, Omnicom Group; Marvin Hill, Jr., External Corporate Communications Leader, Humana Inc.; Damon Jones, Chief Communications Officer, Procter & Gamble, and Denvol Haye Jr., Account Supervisor, Prosek Partners. Preliminary remarks were led by Pat Ford, Co-chair, Diversity Action Alliance, and Carmella Glover, Executive Director, Diversity Action Alliance was the event’s host. Attendees were active in the chat portal on Zoom during the entirety of the event, reacting to the stories and anecdotes in real-time, which really helped facilitate a shared experience.
Wheeless, the keynote speaker, began the event with a personal story about what it was like for her navigating the workforce in the early aughts of her career. In addition to never leaving the apartment without her briefcase, she would also grab her suit of armor to don and protect her from the macro and microaggressions she would face. It goes without saying no one should ever have to feel as though they need protection to successfully navigate the outside world.
Wheeless noted that rather than rehash all that is wrong with our societal systems, this event was meant to honor the people that have paved the way to progress. Such as Dr. Carter G. Woodson. Dr. Hill led us through a presentation on Dr. Woodson, a historian, educator, journalist, and author known as the “Father of Black History.” He dedicated his life to ensuring Black achievements and contributions were included and recognized in US history and in 1916 started The Journal of Negro History – a quarterly journal that is still published today – to publish records of African American life and history. He is also responsible for starting what was once Black History Week – the precursor to Black History Month. However, one of his goals was to create a more unified history for Blacks, whites, and everyone else.
One word that kept popping up throughout the event was: accountability. As Browne noted, gone are the days that companies can just say, “well, that’s an HR issue.” To create change internally, there must be a cross-organizational approach. For example, the C-suite must work in tandem with HR, policy, and various legal departments to make sure that employees are not only seen, heard, and valued but also respected in the workplace.
In the last panel of the evening, Haye provided advice for students thinking about entering the PR industry. His number one piece of advice? Consume content. Consume all different types of content, not just what you want to read, but content that challenges any biases you have about the world. This will give you a more well-rounded perspective of how different people think, ultimately making you a better communicator.
Sammy Williams, Account Supervisor