New York, NY—Edelman has announced three pro bono partnerships in support of racial equality as protests continue around the legacy of racism and injustice against Black Americans. The partnerships total over $1M in donated services.
These partnerships seek to accelerate Edelman’s ongoing commitment to racial justice and diversity and inclusion within its own walls. These new commitments come on the heels of an Edelman U.S. commitment to 30% racial and ethnic diversity in its workforce, among other priorities.
“This starts at home,” said Edelman U.S. CEO Russell Dubner. “We’ve made commitments and driven progress, but there is much more to do to become the anti-racist company we all aspire to be.”
“Of concern for us as communicators is the representation of the black community and the coverage of race relations,” said Edelman U.S. COO Lisa Ross. “Of concern for us as advisors is the makeup of the C-suite. And of concern for us at home is the toll taken on our Black employees’ mental health. Our three new partnerships seek to address those concerns at their roots.”
The first partnership, with the National Association of Black Journalists, commits Edelman communications services in support of elevating important and impactful narratives happening in the Black community that currently go largely unreported. A NewsWhip analysis conducted by Edelman on June 17th shows that articles focused on the looting and rioting almost doubled those about peaceful protests over the past month (80K articles versus 38K articles, respectively), and were interacted with nearly 6.5x as much.
"Edelman's expertise at elevating important stories in the media is well-known," said NABJ President Dorothy Tucker. "By amplifying success narratives, we hope to educate, inform and fuel conversation that will lead to real positive change in the social justice arena. All of that while telling the truth about the very serious challenges in this country and the commitment by many to address systemic racism."
Secondly, in partnership with CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion, Edelman will commit to a two-year fellowship that looks to combat racism at an institutional level by advancing public policy. CEO Action is the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion within the workplace. Edelman is already a member and now a founding partner of CEO Action’s policy initiative.
Finally, Edelman is committing to the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation as a pro bono partner. Edelman’s support will work to amplify the Henson Foundation’s mission: Combatting the mental health impact of trauma-related to systemic racism and other social injustices experienced by Black people. "Shining a light on issues that impact the mental health of black people, enables us to see and respond to the layers of darkness around it. Partnering with Edelman to expand our message, reach those dark places, will support those who may be suffering in silence under the weight of racism and social injustice,” said Tracie Jade Jenson, Executive Director of the Henson Foundation.
The partnerships will launch immediately, with Edelman support through June 2021.
About Edelman
Edelman is a global communications firm that partners with businesses and organizations to evolve, promote and protect their brands and reputations. Our 6,000 people in more than 60 offices deliver communications strategies that give our clients the confidence to lead and act with certainty, earning the trust of their stakeholders. Our honors include the Cannes Lions Grand Prix for PR; Advertising Age’s 2019 A-List; the Holmes Report’s 2018 Global Digital Agency of the Year; and, five times, Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work. Since our founding in 1952, we have remained an independent, family-run business. Edelman owns specialty companies Edelman Intelligence (research) and United Entertainment Group (entertainment, sports, lifestyle). For more information please visit: www.edelman.com.