Praise for Women Pioneers of PR
Posted on Mar. 5, 2024 / Diversity & Inclusion / Subscribe 0
By Shayla O’Keeffe
March is Women’s History Month, a time to amplify the celebration and recognition of women’s vital role in American history. It’s a time to thank the women before us for their tireless work in making society a better place for all. Public relations and communications professionals can equally thank the outstanding efforts of many women along the way for making the industry the success it is today.
Women
Betsy Plank
Betsy Plank, known best as the First Lady of Public Relations, was a pioneer, champion and leader in the field. She was the first to be president of the Publicity Club of Chicago and PRSA (1973).She was the first PRSA member to receive three of the organization’s top individual awards: The Gold Anvil Award (1977), the Paul M. Lund Public Service Award (1989) and the Patrick Jackson Award for Distinguished Service to PRSA (2001). Read more about her here.
Ida B. Wells-Barnett
Ida B. Wells-Barnett, a prolific journalist and activist, used her skills in journalism to bring attention to the conditions of African American people living throughout the South. She battled sexism, racism and violence, but it was when a friend of hers was lynched that she turned her energy toward researching and publishing several cases of violence against Black men by white mobs. She wrote and published her work in pamphlets and several columns in local newspapers. Read more about Ida here.
Belle Moskowitz
Belle Moskowitz had a diverse, fulfilling career as a social worker, educator, legislative activist, labor relations expert, as well as a PR director and campaign manager for New York governor and 1920s presidential candidate Al Smith. As a pioneer in PR, she used what was a novel, innovative medium at the time – film – in her public relations work for the New York/New Jersey Port Authority. She was a first-generation American who started her career advocating for and supporting protections for vulnerable girls and exploited factory workers. Read more about her here.
A note: While this article is focused on women for Women’s History Month, we at PRSA Tampa Bay are committed to and actively incorporate diversity, equity & inclusion (DE&I) into our programming and posts throughout the year to ensure all communities and histories are not forgotten. DE&I is not a trend and is not limited to one moment in time, it takes all of us, all the time.
About the Author: Shayla O’Keeffe is the current Chair of the PRSA Tampa Bay Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, and Associate Director of Communications at Bristol Myers Squibb.
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