Avoiding cultural appropriation is a critical responsibility for creative teams. By educating ourselves, fostering collaboration, and being mindful of the impact of our work, we can create a world where cultural exchange is built on a foundation of respect, understanding, and appreciation.
AI is changing the job search landscape, making it easier for employers to identify the most qualified candidates and for job seekers to find relevant job opportunities. As these technologies continue to advance, it’s likely that they will play an increasingly important role in the hiring process.
Community organizations have an important role to play in advocating for social and political change, and data can be a powerful tool in this work. However, organizations must ensure that the data they use is unbiased and representative, and that they use the data in responsible ways.
Having a diverse team of creative marketing consultants can be a powerful tool for your outreach. By bringing different perspectives, experiences, and ideas to the table, you can create more authentic and impactful marketing campaigns
It’s possible to survive a crisis and lay a strong foundation for future growth at the same time. It’s a matter of pivoting to projects that meet goals now, but also fit into the longer-term mission. And — of course — it means shifting your mindset and getting a little creative.
Reporting and writing about issues involving race calls for thoughtful consideration, precise language, and an openness to discussions with others of diverse backgrounds about how to frame coverage or what language is most appropriate, accurate and fair. Avoid broad generalizations and labels; race and ethnicity are one part of a person’s identity. Identifying people by race and reporting on actions that have to do with race often go beyond simple style questions, challenging journalists to think broadly about racial issues before having to make decisions on specific situations and stories.
College students across the country took part in protests this summer against racial injustice in the aftermath of the deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Elijah McClain and others.
In 2020, the intersection of COVID-19 and the racial unrest following the killing of George Floyd has sharply refocused our attention on the dire state of diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the PR industry. According to available statistics, racial/ethnic diversity is less than 20%, and some figures even suggest as low as 11% (Chikara, 2018). This is not culturally sustainable, especially because the country is diversifying at a fast pace; by 2050, groups currently constituting minoritized groups will collectively be a majority (Lee, 2008). This situation is a business, cultural, and moral problem.
The need for organizations to cater to diverse publics becomes more evident as the U.S. population continues to diversify, and academic programs play a key role in meeting that need.
Despite the expectation that the United States will become a minority White country in the next two to three decades, progress on hiring more people of color in PR has been slow. In addition to bias at the executive level, part of the problem begins in colleges and universities.
PR practitioners need to be keenly attuned to what their brands’ strategies are and how their campaigns can be perceived, but they’ll be hard-pressed to do so if they don’t become more diverse and inclusive themselves.
Our industry is not reflecting the country’s changing demographics. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, by 2020, 36.5 percent of the U.S. population will be comprised of Blacks, Asians/Pacific Islanders, Hispanics/Latinos and Native Americans.
PR is a great career field. Many of us enjoy the variety of responsibilities, writing, fast career trajectory, constant evolution of tools, and working around tight deadlines. As great as the profession is though, there’s no secret about the lack of diversity. Part of the solution is getting minority college students to consider PR as a career.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that only 10.5% of people employed in public relations in 2014 were Hispanics, and as an organization, in 2010, only 3.75% of our membership were Hispanics, 6.5% were African Americans, and 3% were Asian Americans. While these numbers might have increased in the past few years, our commitment to diversity and to shift those demographics are still critical for our industry and our organization.
©2023 Created in Color. All Right Reserved.