Okay, White holding companies have already
admitted they are, well, White holding companies. Then Digiday examined the
delegation
of diversity at media
companies. In the latest exposé, Digiday presented gender exclusivity
at PR
firms. What’s next? Inequality in experiential, B2B and shopper marketing?
And how about trade journals?
‘They don’t
really want me to have a voice’: Black women in PR say they feel isolated, held
to different standards from their colleagues
By Kristina Monllos
Lisa
(her name has been changed for this story to protect her anonymity) has dealt
with “a degree of toxicity” at every agency she’s ever worked. As a Black
public relations executive who has worked at major PR firms as well as inside
ad agencies, Lisa has felt isolated and taken note of how she’s often held to
different standards than that of her white colleagues.
“It’s
really hard to thrive in those environments when there’s no one who will take
you under their wing, show you the ropes and mentor you,” said Lisa of the
isolation she’s felt throughout her career, adding that she’s witnessed
executives mentor and befriend her white coworkers, inviting them over for the
weekend or on vacation. “I’ve never had those experiences and it is hard.”
Without
that mentorship, Lisa has felt isolated throughout her career in PR and
believes she has not been given the same opportunities as her white colleagues
even when she’s performing at the same level or better. She’s not alone in that
feeling and observation. Digiday spoke with five Black women in public
relations — one interview was previously published as part of our Confessions
series — who say they’ve felt the same throughout their careers and believe
that PR agencies need to reexamine internal culture as well as their hiring
practices to become more inclusive.
“Diversity,
equity and inclusion efforts are happening in advertising but it has not really
been addressed at the PR level,” said a Black PR exec who requested anonymity.
Throughout her career, the exec has dealt with biases and prejudices about who
she is as a person as well as her ability to work on specific accounts based on
her race.
“Working
at PR agencies, I got a major education in code switching and I got a major
education in being a ‘token,’” said the exec. “I don’t think I realized that I
was a ‘token’ until I got deeper into my career. Then it was like, ‘Oh, they
want me to have a seat at the table because it makes the table look better, but
they don’t really want me to have a voice.’ And when they do want me to have a
voice it’s only related to Black initiative, or for Black brands, Black
companies, Black products, because I think the perception was, ‘Oh, she’s
Black. She must know this stuff.’”
The
exec also noted that when working on Black brands for PR agencies, she has
often been left to handle a major account with little to no help from her white
colleagues. Without the resources necessary for the size of the account, she’s
felt overwhelmed, left to manage an unreasonable workload and realized she’s
held to different standards than her white colleagues. When that’s been the
case, finding a way to ask for the resources and help needed has also been a
difficult task.
“[Sometimes
you’re] not able to stand up for yourself because you don’t want to be seen as
a trope,” said the exec. “You don’t want to be the angry Black woman.”
Being
aware of tone and how it may be perceived differently by coworkers, bosses or
clients who may have biases and prejudices about Black women is a common issue
for Black women in PR who say they often think about how they word what they
say and that it can be exhausting to do so.
A
PR director at a PR agency who requested anonymity recalled an incident while
she was training an employee during which she used similar language to that of
her manager. Even so, a coworker pulled her aside and told her she was being
aggressive in the training, which gave her pause.
“This
was everything my manager has said to me and more and in the same environment,”
said the director, who added that she’s often one of the only Black women in
her workplace. “So why is it when she says it to me, as a white woman trying to
build me up, it’s different from what is being said to [the trainee]?”
The
exec believes PR agency leaders need to grapple with the biases and prejudices
they have about Black women that have been prevalent throughout her career to
make it a better career path for other Black women in PR now. Unless they do
so, Black people in PR may leave for competitors and win over clients — as she
has done as owner of her own shop now.
Making
sure there is a clear path forward is crucial, according to the women. The
director noted that when there’s no one in leadership that’s a person of color
— often they are support staff, entry or mid-level employees — it can be
difficult to see a future at major PR agencies. To break it, it starts with
putting people of color in leadership positions where they have support and can
make a difference, she said.
Recognizing
the work Black women in PR are doing to build brands is also crucial in the
push to make the field more inclusive, explained Latasha DeVeaux, principal and
PR strategist for DeVeaux Enterprises and president of Black Public Relations
Society in Los Angeles.
“Black
PR professionals have been told to stay behind the scenes, stay quiet because
it is about the client or it’s about the work,” said DeVeaux, adding that
because of that Black PR professionals are not recognized to the same degree as
their colleagues. “You see our counterparts in photos or stories about the work
that they’ve done.”
To
begin to change the culture inside PR agencies and to make it a better space
for Black women, Lisa believes colleagues should speak up when they notice
Black women being treated differently or held to different standards.
“It’s
obvious, it’s clear when someone’s not getting put on a big account and they’ve
worked there just as long as you have, do just as much work as you have and you
get rewarded and they don’t,” said Lisa. “You know that’s unfair, but you sit
there quietly and don’t say anything. Speak up and be aware.”
Kimeko
McCoy contributed reporting to this piece.
