Womens History Month: Recognizng Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Posted on Mar. 18, 2024 / Subscribe 0
By Kim Smith Woodford, PRSA VP, Diversity & Inclusion
This year's theme for Womens History Month, Women who advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion.
The theme as noted by National Women's History Alliance recognizes women throughout the country who understand that, for a positive future, we need to eliminate bias and discrimination entirely from our lives and institutions.
Below we are highlighting two important women, Betsy Plank and Inez Yeargan Kaiser. Both have broken barriers to become leaders in their own right and are a true inspiration to thousands of women to follow in their footsteps. Keep reading for ideas of how you can celebrate and honor women beyond the month of March.
Betsy Plank, known as the first lady of public relations, is highly respected in the profession. She was the first female president of PRSA. She is one of the creators of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). She amassed an amazing trailblazing career holding a long list of firsts throughout her career in the corporate and nonprofit sectors and has influenced the career path of generations of women in the public relations profession.
In 2005, she endowed the The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations at the University of Alabama with a mission to empower and advance the next generation of emerging leaders in profession through mentorship, programming, education and fostering meaningful connections.
In her words, "Public relations is fundamental to a democratic society where people make decisions in the workplace, the marketplace, the community and in the voting booth. Its primary mission is to forge responsible relationships of understanding, trust and respect among groups and individuals--even though they often disagree."
Inez Yeargan Kaiser, is an important figure in the profession in who many Black women in the profession aspired to become--owner of their own PR firm/agency. This educator and civil rights activist developed her "hobby" of writing social lifestyle columns to form her public relations firm, Inez Kaiser and Associates, Inc., the first African American-woman-owned firm in the U.S.
As a woman of many firsts, one of her thoughtful words of advice is, "Always be thoughtful and thorough with your clients. And try your best to develop a personal relationship with them."
Here is a short list of suggestive actions we can take individually and collectively to celebrate and honor women:
• Be aware of issues women still face today
• Support a women's nonprofit/for-profit businesses
• Create awareness by posting on social media
• Highlight and collaborate with female content creators
• Women, write yourself a love note
• Write a thank you note to a woman who inspires you
• Menor a girl or fellow woman
• Explore the history of women's rights
• Watch TED talks for women
Consider creating a play list of artists with lyrics that inspire and empower women. My own list includes artist like Aretha Franklin, Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Katie Perry, Miley Cyrus, Lizzo, H.E.R., Lady Gaga, Ciara, and Christina Aguilera.
If you're interested in participating on the D&I committee, please contact Kim Woodford at [email protected].
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