About The Initiative
In June 2020 we put out a call for accountability after witnessing PR agencies post tone-deaf and out-of-touch messages on their social media channels as a sign of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. As the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery began to jolt so many into protests and brought about an unshakable pain to the Black community, we wanted to shed light on what these statements truly personify.
What is Hold the PRess?
An advocacy group committed to improving diversity in the public relations and communications industry. The initiative was founded by four black women in response to public relations agencies publicly sharing words of solidarity in reaction to police brutality protests; however, in practice, Black employees remain underrepresented and marginalized in the industry.
Why is it Needed?
Brands are relying on their PR agencies to counsel them on diversity and inclusion. However, many PR agencies can not do so credibly as their own houses are not in order.
According to Harvard Business Review’s analysis of the federal labor statistics, it found the PR industry to be 89.7 percent White, 8.3 percent Black, 2.6 percent Asian, and 5.7 percent Hispanic or Latinx.
The Ask
For organizational diversity breakdowns
For the current number of employees who are Black and the number of employees who are POC in executive roles. These numbers must be separated.
For the current number of client accounts that are Black-owned and number of accounts that are POC-owned. These numbers must be separated.
For action plans moving forward to propel Black/POC in the office
The Requests
Agencies visit historically Black colleges and universities to recruit new and top-tier talent with a commitment to expand outreach beyond top ten HBCUs.
Develop a training program for Black men/women and rotate participants in different sectors to find their specialty
Restructure if your agency has less than 30% of Black women/men/POC in executive roles
Develop, support, and fund more employee resource groups/affinity groups
Create policies in place to ensure equal pay
Accountability to include Black and POC-led media publications in general outreach versus primarily multicultural programming.
Professional PR organizations sponsor 1-2 award entries for Black-Owned Agencies (80% Black Owned)