PR Pioneer: Ida B. Wells-Barnett (1862-1931)
Institute for Public Relations, The Museum of Public Relations
IPR has partnered with The Museum of Public Relations to feature some of the many Black PR Pioneers in celebration of Black History Month

Ida B. Wells-Barnett (1862-1931) was an American journalist who became an activist in the late 1800s after a train ride from Memphis to Nashville in 1884. She bought a first-class ticket but was told to move to the "Jim Crow" train car. When she refused, she was forcibly removed from the train. She filed a lawsuit and won, and the event spurred her activism.

After three of her friends were lynched, Wells-Barnett began investigating white mob violence and the lynching of Black men across the southern United States. In 1892, she started writing news columns and campaigning against lynching. Locals burned down her press office after her exposè about an 1892 lynching.

She led several other major civil rights initiatives, including forming the National Association of Colored Women and serving as a founding member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). She wrote books, speeches, columns, and went on speaking tours. Wells-Barnett had a significant impact on the public relations community through her use of the press to expose wrongdoing and promote civil rights.

Read more to learn about Ida B. Wells-Barnett and the significant impact she had on the public relations industry.
Introducing the IPR Master Class: A Strategic Playbook for Communicators
Institute for Public Relations
The IPR Master Class: A Strategic Playbook for Communicators is a 10-month interactive, certificate series for public relations and communication professionals that offers an opportunity to learn about and discuss critical research-based topics in strategic communication. Playback is available and all those who complete the series receive a certificate.

These once-a-month, two-hour sessions will be led by expert faculty from diverse backgrounds and organizations. The series is geared toward mid-to-senior level communicators looking to take the next step in their career.  

The 10 concentrations in the series include:
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Behavioral Insights 
  • Big Data, Privacy, and the Law
  • Crisis Comms
  • Digital/Social Media
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 
  • Ethics in Decision-Making
  • Leadership
  • Measurement & Evaluation 
  • Employee Communication

Read more for details on the IPR Master Class: A Strategic Playbook for Communicators including session format, speakers and pricing.
Lessons Earned: Never Hold Back from Giving Your Fullest Self
David W. Brown, Diversity Advisor, Office of the Dean, Klein College of Media and Communication at Temple University
In partnership with PR NEWS,“Lessons Earned” is a series featuring IPR Trustees sharing a difficult lesson.

One thing that attracted me to PR was how it required the best practitioners to bring a variety of skills to their work. I chose to study PR in college more than 35 years ago, because it took the best of everything (writing, presenting, creating ideas) to excel.

As an African American male growing up in the often-tough streets of Philadelphia, I started to see how the multi-faceted aspects of PR could effectuate change in powerful ways–particularly around issues like combatting racism and working for greater diversity, inclusion and equity.

But just as much my ethnic identity and gender inspired me to work for change and provided the power to do so, I always held myself in check, depending on the circumstances. In white-dominated spaces, I instinctively code-switched to make colleagues and clients feel comfortable enough to trust my expertise. In Black spaces, I reverted to a vernacular and demeanor that let me be authentically me.

Read the rest of David Brown's blog to see what he learned about working for change and being authentically himself.
Achieving Intercultural Competence: What PR Leaders Have to Learn about Diversity & Inclusion
Aerial Ellis, Ed.D., Professor, Lipscomb University; Consultant, Advisory 83

Despite incremental efforts to increase training and education for leaders in the area of diversity and inclusion, there is little agreement across the industry about the core competencies needed by leaders to manage more diverse, globally astute organizations and communicate effectively with diverse publics.

What types of education or training resources do leaders in PR need to strengthen their competencies toward diversity and inclusion? Research supported by the Page Society opens a conversation for senior leaders to assess their assets and build the ideal competencies needed to effectively practice diversity and inclusion, including:
  • Intercultural Communication
  • Intercultural Sensitivity
  • Intercultural Awareness
  • Intercultural Research

Watch now to learn about these competencies and how you can use them to strengthen your diversity and inclusion initiatives!
Institute for Public Relations | 352-392-0280 | info@instituteforpr.org | https://instituteforpr.org