"The Case for Diversity in PR"

Last week, October 14th through the 18th, I attended the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) National Conference. When asked to write a business brief, what immediately came to mind was one of the breakout sessions during the conference that particularly struck a chord with me. Instead of taking the ‘typical’ route of researching something in news media I thought it would be more effective to write from first-handed media experience.
This specific breakout session was among several to choose from; however this session left a long-lasting impact on me. It also motivated me more toward my goal of one day being a public relations mogul that empowers women and minorities.

This session was called “The Case for Diversity in PR”. The speakers of the session were Laarni Dacanay and James E. Wright. Laarni is a Diversity Communications Specialist for NBCUniversal as well as the Co-Chair for the NBC Diversity Committee. James is a Diversity & Inclusion Strategist and a Trainer/Speaker for NBCUniversal.

The session began with a timeline of the progress media has made over the last century. It showcased things like the “first colored person on air”, “first lesbian kiss on screen”, “first African-American lead” and other groundbreaking moments for cultural minorities in media, specifically NBC and their affiliates.

The speakers then conducted several ‘warm-up’ excises to make us more comfortable and help us realize how much we use labels for people, even ourselves. After the warm-ups they proceeded to show us several examples of when minority portrayal has been successful (ex: Fast and the Furious series) and examples of when they have been less successful or a complete failure, in terms of including diversity.

I asked James what he would suggest to someone trying to increase diversity and battle stereotypes in media; his response was that “more people like us” need to demand to take over the industry and make certain ALL races, sexes, national creeds, etc are not only thought of but also included in all processes (writing, producing, executing, etc) of the media/communications industry.

Although this seminar was well-liked by the audience and did not cause much debate among us; it is vital that we, as a culture, strive toward more diversity and minority inclusion in all aspects and mediums of media. This session caused me to see ‘the bigger picture’ and realize we must make such cultural changes in the industry. It is our job as the upcoming generation of young professionals to make certain the workplace and products that we endorse or advertise for are culturally, racially, economically, and socially inclusive.

I know that personally I will take what I learned in this session and apply it to more aspects of my life. I will be sure to discuss this issue with other professionals already in the industry as well as my peers who will directly effect who is represented in the future. I acknowledge the progress we have already made, however it is still alarming when you look at the racial demographics of the United States and compare it to the racial and ethic portrayal on the news, in newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, etc.

Moreover, all I can suggest is that we face this problem head-on instead of acting as though it does not exist. Progress is still to come and hopefully we will see a dramatic shift change in our lifetime. The majority of the United States; which is racially, sexually, and ethically diverse, should not stand victim to the minority homogeneous population.

Sources:
http://www.ocprsa.org/member/459/laarni-rosca-dacanay
http://www.visualcv.com/jameswright

AirTran becomes Southwest

Topic: Business Brief #3

Author: Preston Locklear

Date: October 11, 2011

Southwest buys AirTran

Earlier this year, in May, AirTran became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Southwest Airlines. Initially, this created a lot of controversy, mainly among employees of both companies.

I interviewed a current employee of AirTran (now Southwest) to better gauged her opinion and see what she felt other employees thought about the business move.

Shena, who did not want to mention her last name, said she was excited about the business merge. However, she did express she was concerned that former AirTran employees would not receive preference in new business related decisions. She was glad about the increase of benefits with Southwest saying, “Southwest has a lot more monetary benefits…AirTran did not offer pay incentives like Southwest now offers”.

The public did not seem to have much of a vocal input in the merge however, according to RTT News; Southwest/AirTran sales have gone up 6.4% for the month of September. Although the public seems to be giving an overall positive response to the merge it still seems as though employees of former AirTran are worried about their job security as well as preference for business decisions.

Personally, I think this is a step in the right direction for both companies but I could not help but share concern with Shena and the possible inconvenience of not being as valued, simply because she was not an original Southwest employee.

Although this business move was several months ago it is riveting to see the success, other than employee relations, of the two companies. My suggestion to Southwest would be this, to increase employee loyalty and satisfaction, make aware to employees that their value is not more or less depending on the longevity of the employee or the original company worked for.

The merging of the two companies obviously opens more flight options and availability to travelers however employees and their satisfaction as well as job security are vital in the success of a company. Perhaps Southwest can strive to make as few changes as possible in order to keep employee relationships stronger than ever, in a time when such a thing is essential to the overall success of the company.

Sources:

http://www.rttnews.com/Content/TopStories.aspx?Id=1729785&SM=1

Interview with Shena, former AirTran employee and current Southwest employee

http://www.rttnews.com/Content/TopStories.aspx?Id=1729785&SM=1