December Diversity Dimensions

By Rochelle L. Ford, Ph.D., APR



Post election: Hopeful for a united America

By Rochelle L. Ford, Ph.D., APR

Like President-elect Barack Obama; I am hopeful of the possibility of a united America that this election symbolizes.

The color barrier

By becoming the first Black U.S. president, Obama broke the color barrier in America. The outcome of the election gives hope to Americans and others around the world that the United States is truly the land of opportunity.

While the color barrier has been broken, it has not been completely eliminated. As PBS's Tavis Smiley said, this election is one step in the direction of America being as good as it promised. In other words, America makes a promise that it is the land of opportunity; however, many minorities question if that promise is true.

Rather than representing a post-racial America, the election symbolizes an opportunity. Obama has a chance to help bridge the gap and bring Americans together.

As PR professionals, we also have the opportunity to build bridges within our companies and for our clients.

Political barriers

The Obama-Biden campaign used technology in a way we've never seen before - with Web sites and daily e-mails to Facebook and Twitter. If PR professionals can build the same sort of relationships across races, ages, genders and social economic levels, then our clients and organizations will likely have a better environment to operate because communication will be equalized.

PR issues can be the same, and not all issues are racial. However, it is important to know how to explain these topics to different racial or ethnic groups. Obama reached out to all types of media and used direct marketing to specific groups. PR professionals can achieve similar campaign success by ensuring media lists are comprehensive and by targeting demographics with consistent messages.

Promise to rebuild trust

With the financial meltdown and the war in Iraq, much of America and the world have lost trust in the United States. During the campaign, Obama promised to begin rebuilding the lost trust in government. As he said in his election night speech, the process will take honesty, time and sacrifice and may not be accomplished in one year or within one term - but he is committed to the process.

PR professionals need to convince their management that rebuilding trust or just building trust with publics takes a promise, as well as openness, time, honesty and sacrifice.

Beyond divisions of our past

In just 40 years, the nation has moved from rioting in the streets after the death of Martin Luther King, Jr. and protesting in Chicago during the Democratic National Committee to more than 100,000 people celebrating in Grant Park in Chicago, and hundreds of others celebrating the Obama victory in Kenya, Brazil, Indonesia and other nations.

Those protests years ago led to the issuance of the report of the National Advisory of Commission on Civil Disorders, also known as the Kerner Commission. The report said that the mass media was partially responsible for the civil disorder of 1968. This report urged media companies to diversify their work force so that American communities would have more accurate news recorded.

Public relations is under the same mandate now. The New York City Council and the New York Human Rights Commission have been holding the four major investment companies of advertising and PR agencies accountable in order to diversify their workforce. We need change now in public relations. We can do it.

Rochelle L. Ford, Ph.D., APR, is associate dean, research and academic affairs, at Howard University. E-mail: rocFord@howard.edu .