PRSA Dallas DE&I Leaders Reflect on Juneteenth with Communicators in Mind
Posted by admin on Jun. 19, 2023 / Subscribe 0
By: Tiara M. Tucker
As I reflect on Juneteenth, it is still challenging to comprehend that it has only been 158 years
since military troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, in 1865 to communicate and enforce the
breaking news that all enslaved people in the United States of America were declared free
under the terms of the Emancipation Proclamation that was signed by President Abraham
Lincoln in 1862. As communicators, we know that facts and timing matter when communicating
critical announcements. With that said, the slaves in Texas were free for 2.5 years before they
even received the news on that day in June. In today’s world of rapid transmission of
information, waiting just 2.5 hours or 2.5 minutes to receive a long overdue email, text, or call
can be overwhelming.
Admittedly, even as a Black communications professional with a passion for education and
social justice for nearly my entire life, I never knew much about Juneteenth until after I was
relocated from my home state of Illinois to Texas in 2012. That changed after meeting and
having a conversation with Ms. Opal Lee, respectfully known as the “Grandmother of
Juneteenth,” at a community event in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2021 immediately following
Juneteenth’s declaration as a Federal holiday. I felt so compelled to do my part to learn more
and help shed light on Juneteenth and Ms. Opal’s contributions. When I was working in the
Corporate Responsibility Department for a Fortune 50 company, I was eager to take on the
responsibility of sharing information about Juneteenth and coordinating volunteer activities for
our diverse associate base. Outside of work, I was excited to have the opportunity to produce
my own Juneteenth efforts and attend as many community events that I could.
In 2021 and 2022, it was clear that so many diverse communicators, community members, and
especially business leaders were curious about how to discuss and acknowledge Juneteenth.
As the 2022 PRSA Dallas Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) Vice President, our DE&I
Committee, which included Andrea Oputa, David Wolpert, Shanna Watkins, and myself,
decided to curate and host our chapter’s first hybrid Juneteenth community event last year titled,
“Commemorating Juneteenth with Communities in Mind.” We recognized the challenge
communicators may face when elevating a widely sensitive and unspoken piece of American
history to the forefront, so the event consisted of a panel discussion involving master
communicators and DE&I leaders discussing why it is essential to take steps beyond simply
acknowledging Juneteenth.
The achieved goal was to offer a variety of perspectives and best practices on how to
commemorate Juneteenth in a manner that resonated and promoted understanding, while
positively impacting communities. At the top of the list for best practices was for people to
continuously learn, be open to having thoughtful conversations with others, offer grace, be
inclusive, and know that it’s ok to commemorate Juneteenth in just ways that are meaningful to
you.
In addition to the panel discussion, we were honored to feature Dione Sims, the granddaughter
of Ms. Opal, as our keynote speaker. Dione is the Founder and Executive Director of Unity
Unlimited, Inc., the Texas-based nonprofit organization that produces the annual Juneteenth
Fort Worth Celebration along with her Nobel Peace Prize nominated grandmother. During the
event, Dione discussed Juneteenth as an occasion to bring all people together, creating unity
and cohesiveness, so we can begin to heal America. My most memorable part about last year’s
event was awarding Dione and Ms. Opal (who was unable to attend) our chapter’s inaugural
Community Leadership Award.
Reflecting on Juneteenth Today to Prepare for the Future
Now that we are two years into Juneteenth being the newest national holiday since the Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, I think it’s even more crucial for interested communicators to
continue to reflect on Juneteenth as we move forward with our messaging and efforts. I reached
out to some of our chapter’s DE&I representatives from over the years and asked them to share
their reflective thoughts about Juneteenth as we prepare for the future.
Thomas Bennett III, SVP at FleishmanHillard, co-led the PRSA Dallas DE&I Committee from
2017-18 prior to becoming a National DE&I Committee Member in 2021 and Co-lead of the
PRSA Black Voices Affinity Group since 2022. Thomas stated, “Juneteenth to me means the
opportunity to remember, commemorate, and reflect. To remember that during a period of time,
Black people were slaves until that day on June 19, 1865, when military troops went to
Galveston to free the last of the enslaved Black people is also the opportunity to commemorate
with family, friends, allies, and those within our communities.”
Thomas reminds us that there is still more work to do by adding, “Given the current environment
in our country, Juneteenth is also a time to reflect on the amount of work that needs to be done
to address and end institutional racism and systemic inequalities.” As a newly appointed PRSA
National Board Member for 2023-2025, we are excited about the contributions and
advancements Thomas will help make for communicators on both a local and national level.
Bernadette Davis, APR, Founder and Chief Strategist at Bernadette Davis Communications,
as well as our chapter’s 2021 Vice President of DE&I who passed the torch to me in 2022,
shared that she sees Juneteenth as an area of opportunity. According to Bernadette, “One of
our great opportunities with Juneteenth is to make time to learn more about the observance and
use that as an entry point to improve our individual and institutional understanding of American
history, and the tragic impact of slavery and the slave trade of Black people. Context matters for
business and communications, and professionals who have a deep understanding of history are
better equipped to advise and tell stories about all Americans.”
Be sure to check out Bernadette’s byline in PRWeek to read why she feels communications
professionals have an obligation to go deeper when it comes to communicating about
Juneteenth.
In the spirit of passing the torch, Chris Howell, President/CEO of Chris Howell
Communications, LLC, is now the chapter’s current DE&I Vice President. He shared that as an
African American and proud native Texan, there was a time when he didn't fully embrace or
commemorate Juneteenth, and he even felt a sense of embarrassment. “However, as I've
grown and become more educated about its significance, and especially with its recent
recognition as a federal holiday, my perspective has completely changed,” he said. “I now
understand the immense importance of Juneteenth, not just as a Texas tradition, but as a
momentous day in American history. It symbolizes the emancipation of enslaved African
Americans and serves as a reminder of the ongoing struggle for freedom, equality, and justice.
It's a time to honor our ancestors' resilience, celebrate our heritage, and work towards a future
where everyone can thrive.”
When asked how to focus on a thriving future, Chris responded, “Juneteenth is a day to reflect,
educate, and come together as a nation to confront the injustices of the past while striving for a
more inclusive and equitable future. Let's continue to uplift and empower one another, ensuring
that the legacy of Juneteenth lives on in our hearts and actions.”
As I close out my personal reflection of Juneteenth with my fellow communicators in mind, I
want to pass along one of the most powerful responses I received from Ms. Opal when I
conducted an exclusive interview with her and Dione on an episode of the LoveJustice Podcast.
May these words from one of the most inspiring and motivating Civil Rights Activists alive stay
with you as you reflect and communicate about Juneteenth:
“I’m telling every young person I know to make yourself a committee of one. We know people
who aren’t on the same page we are on, so change their minds – and their minds can be
changed. It’s not going to happen in a day; you’re going to have to work at it. If people can be
taught to hate, they can be taught to love, and we can turn this country around…History can’t be
erased, so we’ve got to make a decision to talk about it, learn about it, and be sure it doesn’t
happen again.” -Ms. Opal Lee
On that note, Happy Juneteenth!
Tiara M. Tucker, MS, is a member of Dallas PRSA and an inaugural recipient of the Dallas
PRSA 40 Under 40 Award. She served as the chapter’s DE&I Vice President in 2022. After 18
years with State Farm, with over 15 years in their Public Affairs and Corporate Responsibility
Departments, Tiara resigned in February of 2023 to become a full-time entrepreneur and
nonprofit executive. Tiara is the award-winning founder and leader of Tiara PR Network, LLC
and Speak That! Movement, Inc. She opened the Tiara PR Network Headquarters in Carrollton,
Texas, as an upscale private business venue for communicators, community leaders and
business professionals to connect, collaborate, create, and celebrate. In 2022, Tiara received
the D CEO Magazine Leadership Excellence Award and the President Joe Biden Presidential
Lifetime Achievement Award for her efforts to make an impact in the community.
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