Wednesday, December 10, 2008

PR companies are requested to Bring More Blacks to events after Obama election per Gawker.com

The Abomination of the Obama nation!
I was sent the articles below suggesting there is a new PR initiative to get more Black people on certain holiday party guest lists since Obama's election has inducted in a new era of Black chic!

This is so pathetic, but not surprising! It has been happening for years- As a PR/Marketing/Advertising specialist,I am well aware of it with my White clients who think putting people of color in Ad. campaigns would suggest that they are "an urban brand" but would be the first to beg for some Jay Z or Beyonce concert tickets or party invite for themselves or their kids. The last I knew urban means city, non-rural or cosmopolitan, but we as an industry (black, white & in-between) have allowed it to mean Black with all the connotations that came along with it -pre-Obama! Surprise, White people, some of us "Urban folks" are actually classy & intelligent! Surprise! Black people it is ok to be classy & intelligent!

The worst of it is when Black folks perpetuate the same behavior by specifically hiring white firms & beg to be included in their events. Lets not forget the era of Lizzie Grubman " It takes a Jewish Girl to get these Black guys in check", speaking of doing events for her Black hip-hop music clients. Instead of suggesting a list of good Blacks to invite to events, we should be having our own upscale events where this type of "ignorantes" are begging to get in to see what we are about & how we do things! Let's not make their jobs easier for them by giving them our list! I have been told a few times by clients & other white associates that "I am a different Black" or "not that kind of Black" or the best one "you are African not Black", because I can actually tell them exactly what part of Africa I am from, don't speak Ebonics & posess some class & intelligence. I guess President elect Obama is also acceptable by the same definition.

Surprise people!-Charlize Theron maybe as African as I am, but the majority of Africans are Black!!

We have bigger fish to fry as a people & as an industry than to consume ourselves with invites to holiday parties for people who have no interest in us outside of being decorative items for their shindigs!

If this is a genuine call for diversity then do it thru your hiring practices, so you have those that can represent, bring in & understand a broader range of diverse people instead of just having another gimmick,ploy or quick fix initiative that insults the intelligence of those that you are trying to include! Human beings are not accessories or decorative items for your pleasure or amusement!


Gawker
This Year's Most Fashionable Holiday Party Accessories Are Black People
By Hamilton Nolan, 11:03 AM on Tue Dec 9 2008,

Now that Obama has been elected, a tipster inside a PR firm tells us, clients are demanding "an increased number of African Americans added to the guest list" at their holiday parties. In the spirit of hope! The email can't really be "verified," but appears genuine and is just too important not to share. This firm has even assembled an official internal "Diversified Holiday Guest List," in which they rank the top 10 acceptable black socialite attendees, in order of desirability. Uh... yes we can? After the jump, meet the fashion world's ten favorite African-Americans for Obama-era parties. Jesus christ:
Job descriptions and order of "desirability," from the PR firm's original list (NOT BY US):1) Bonnie Morrison (PR Guru)
2) Genevieve Jones (Socialite)
3) Maggie Betts (Socialite)
4) Malcolm Harris (Designer/Activist)
5) Moises De La Renta (son of Oscar)
6) Kehinde Wiley (Artist)
7) Nicola Vassell (Deitch Gallery Director)
8) Rachel Roy (Designer/ Socialite)
9) Jason Campbell (Journalist)
10) Marc Baptiste (photographer

Black is The New Black (Again!)
Check out this nifty little piece we saw today - apparently, a tipster at a top PR firm has told the Gawker crew that since the Obama victory, their clients are requesting that more African Americans be added to the guest lists at their holiday parties. Thanks Barack…we are BACK!!!.Honestly, this is straight bullshit to us since we work in Marketing&PR and have dealt with the majority of clients trying to AVOID blacks showing up at their events—not to mention the non-hiring of Black promoters, DJ's, staff, etc. Now, suddenly we're in style? Well, just like any trend, this too may pass and then what? Back to Harlem and Brooklyn?Over the past few years, PR agencies, event promoters and venue owners behind some of the trendiest parties in New York and LA have been known to do everything in their power to avoid multiple numbers of brown faces in their venues, in an effort to maintain a "sexy" crowd. DJs spinning Lil' Wayne, 50 Cent and Timbaland to a non-black crowd with five or six sprinkles is sexy, but let a group of five black men (or women) show up at the door and it's a wrap. Aspiring party-goers of color would wait in despair as they are told that sneakers are not allowed or the place is suddenly at capacity while others who fit a different profile are let in right beside them. So now that we're back in style, should we jump for joy? Here's our chance to show just how proper and normal we are, just like the men and women who were deemed "acceptable" on the alleged "Diversified Holiday Guest List" developed by the same PR agency.
That's right, and to make matters worse, apparently there is even a "Diversified Holiday Guest List" floating around consisting of "acceptable" folks: Bonnie Hunt, Genevieve "2 steps away from the hood" Jones, Rachel Roy (wait, we thought she was Indian & White?), Marc Baptiste, Kehinde Wiley and others…
Well, because clearly these people are quite limited in their access to people of color, we took it upon ourselves to create our own list. We here at Parlour think that the selected group could use a little remixing with some better, more stimulating (for the record, we LOVE Marc & Kehinde!) Black NYC notables…so, we would like to nominate (in no particular order):
1. Michaela angela Davis (Fashionista, Editor, Activist)
2. Danyel Smith (Writer, VIBE Editor, Fly Girl)

3. Oluwaseye Olusa (Photographer, Smooth Operator)
4. Bev Smith (Writer, Cultural Maven) - When is the next dinner??
5. Mobolaji Dawodu (Stylist, Designer, Cool Cat)
6. Len Burnett (Publisher)
7. Ali Muhammed (Publisher, Hustle Coordinator)
8. Lola Ogunnaike (CNN TV Journalist)
9. DJ Kiss (Party Starter, Style Selecta)
10. Hassan Kinley (Photographer, Beauty Maker)
11. Alexis Peskine (Artist, Multilingual Hottie)

12. Beverly Bond (DJ/ Founder of Black Girls Rock! Inc.)
13. Smokey Fontaine (Creative Director, Publisher, All Around Really Nice Guy)
14. The Parlour Girls(Culture Mavens, An Editor, A Creative Director, A Marketing Manager, Party Starters, Fab Divas, etc)
Yes, we KNOW we are missing folks (we had to write this in 10 minutes) - nominate your own in the comments and we will add them!
Ciao!

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