It’s not breaking news that women in the professional field are not paid as much for the exact same job that a man does. It’s not a surprise that there are more men in charge than there are women. Seeing that I am a woman seeking to enter the professional world of public relations, this is an issue that is going to hit me very soon, if not already. Not only am I a woman, but I am also African American and with it being Black History Month, it only seems right to see the other challenges that await.
Before public relations was even called public relations, African Americans were practicing it throughout the Civil Rights Movement. Led by Martin Luther King Jr., blacks in America marched alongside anti-slavery organizations like the Southern Christian Leadership Conference trying to the change mentality of white Americans. They weren’t just trying to enhance the image of a company or a single person, but of an entire culture.
Now there aren’t many minorities in the public relations field. The Institute for Public Relations reported that only 4.5% of management PR jobs were held by African American women. The odds don’t look so good, do they? The reoccurring point that comes up is that, African Americans and other minorities are not entering the communications field because they do not see themselves represented. It’s difficult to enter a career path without seeing somebody that you could potentially relate to.
Stereotypes are something that every culture carries along with them, for some more than others. In 5 Myths About Black PR Professionals, the author points out something that I think has an effect on the amount of potential African Americans choosing this as their career. Employers try to stick those who are non-white on the multicultural team. They assume that blacks want to always work with black media and influence black people but that’s not always the case. For me, it is but I understand that for others that’s not their passion and they don’t want to be forced to do something that is not pleasing to them.
The crazy thing is, diversity can only be beneficial for a company. Hiring employees of different genders and ethnicities can open up a business to so many other markets. Businesses and firms should be going out of their way to make sure they are made up of the different races; especially since in just a few years minorities will no longer be the minority in America.
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