L to R: Rochelle Ford, Ph.D., Syracuse University; Donald Singletary, Professor, Baruch and Syracuse Universities; Judith Harrison, SVP, staffing, diversity and inclusion, Weber Shandwick, and president PRSA Foundation; Denise Hill, Ph.D., Elon University, moderatorL to R: Rochelle Ford, Ph.D., Syracuse University; Donald Singletary, Professor, Baruch and Syracuse Universities; Judith Harrison, SVP, staffing, diversity and inclusion, Weber Shandwick, and president PRSA Foundation; Denise Hill, Ph.D., Elon University, moderator.

Photos: Jack O’Dwyer

The first “Black PR History Month,” extending to March 8, was launched last night at the penthouse conference room of Edelman with more than 150 present.

A snowstorm earlier in the day had resulted in cancellation of the event at Baruch College, which was closed for the day. More than 300 had registered for the event.

Those who showed up at the new location heard two hours of descriptions of blacks who have been prominent in PR but whose contributions have mostly been overlooked, particularly in PR textbooks.

Four panelists cited the contributions of blacks—Denise Hill, Ph.D., Elon University who served as moderator; Rochelle Ford, Ph.D., Syracuse University; Judith Harrison, SVP, North America diversity and inclusion, Weber Shandwick, and president, Foundation of PRSA, and Donald Singletary, Singletary Group, New York, and adjunct professor at Baruch College and Syracuse University.

Special recognition was given to pioneering black PR firm founder Inez Kaiser who practiced in Kansas City. Kaiser, who died in 2016 at the age of 96, was the first African-American to open a PR firm.

Her son, Rick Kaiser, accepted a memorial award in her behalf.

Five Heads of PR Groups Attend

Rick Kasier and Roxi VictorianRick Kaiser, son of Inez Kaiser with Roxi Victorian, daughter of Offield Dukes.

The event attracted the heads of five PR groups: Roger Bolton, Arthur W. Page Society; Tina McCorkindale, Ph.D., Institute for PR; Renee Wilson, PR Council; Marcia DiStaso, Arthur Page Center, and Patrick Ford, The Plank Center, who also served as emcee. 

Not present was Joseph Truncale, CEO of PR Society of America, who told those connected with the event that he was out of town on business. Present were chief communications officer Laura Kane and Jeneen Garcia, executive director, PR Student Society of America.

Not present were Andrew McCaskill, SVP of Nielsen and a national board member of PRSA, and Laurent Lawrence, director of PR of PRSA.

Also not present was Michael Paul, who has been an ardent supporter of the need for more blacks to be in top PR jobs. Paul is now SVP with Publicis Media heading PR for the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Panel Proposed for PRSA/National

Donald Bates, an organizer of the event, said that the extensive history of blacks in PR presented as by the panel should be duplicated at the PRSA national conference Oct. 8-10 in Boston.

The Society’s history with its black members is a subject of controversy.

Dukes, a revered figure in the black PR community, ran for at-large board member of the Society in 2009 but was defeated by Barbara Whitman of Hawaii.

He was then appointed to the board as a non-voting “of coursel” member but resigned after a year. African-American Regina Lewis, head of communications of the Potter’s House church of Dallas, ran for director-at-large in 2010 but lost to Susan Walton, PR professor at Brigham Young University. Lewis was a PRSA member since 1992 while Walton joined in 2005.

Tina McCorkindaleTina McCorkindale, president and CEO of The Institute for PR

As of 2010, only two blacks had served on the PRSA board in its 61-year history, Debra Miller and Cheryl Procter-Rogers. Miller was to have been the 50th anniversary president of PRSA in 1997 but the board suddenly switched the anniversary year to 1948.

PRSA in 2009 closed its Multicultural section because it had fewer than 100 members, far below the 200 required for a section.

PR Jobs Among the Most Stressful

Addressing the gathering was this reporter who noted that, year after year, Careercast ranks “PR executive” as one of the most stressful jobs. The 2017 ranking puts the post at No. 8.

We also noted the current O’Dwyer column by Fraser Seitel which has the title, “Donald Trump and the End of PR.”

Seitel says Trump is violating numerous basic principles of PR including “Never lie,” “Always check your facts,” “Never attack the media,” “Don’t bad mouth your adversaries,” and “Always take the high road.”

Asked about this added stress on PR people, panelists said that minorities are used to being discriminated against and are better equipped to handle the stress that comes with a PR post