This week President Joe Biden stated that he was praying for a guilty verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin and his team quickly tried to cover up the statement as they felt it was not an appropriate thing for the president to say but then there is the questi0n of why?

From a PR perspective, especially in regards to the President, making strong statements about very significant situations occurring in our country can be a risky area to enter. But in reference to our constant conversation about diversity and inclusion, as well as my team’s final project about this, I found it to be a strong and honest statement made by the president.

Showing the stance on this issue shows character and trust, even if many Americans may agree or disagree with his statement. I feel that the president did not do anything wrong in stating his opinion as we all as Americans as well as simple human beings, should also feel that the verdict should be guilty.

Centre County has a serious issue when referring to diversity and inclusion and their main source of comments is on social media. They also do not feel the need to report on serious National News when race issues are involved,  which is another strong reason why we feel the need for conversations to make a change in this community is necessary and should be held at a high priority.

This can be another example to think about when executing our conversation with the community as the question could be posed to the community in a respectful manner on what their opinion on this is. Following the opinionated question could also be an educational lesson as people tend to just get their information from friends and media without any more extensive research to be completed.

I believe this trial is a sensitive subject but that is the entire point of community conversations. We want to discuss with the community the sensitive conversations that need to be had and potentially follow with a change to be made. Sensitive subjects are the focus of our conversations and ultimately what we feel is the only way to bring Centre County together and make it a more diverse area for everyone. Diversity needs to be tackled locally before it can be brought to a national level and any step towards this change is a successful one.

Another tragedy in regards to police brutality has happened once again in Minneapolis. On April 11th, Daunte Wright a 20-year-old African American man was shot and killed by Police Officer Kim Potter after being stopped for an expired tag. This young man was a father to a one and half-year-old boy and had no weapon on him and the officer used her Glock instead of a taser, taking the life of the young man.

Daunte called his mother asking for his insurance information and his mother heard the officer ask him to hang up the phone and step out of the car. That was the last time she spoke to her son as the next call she received was a hysterical facetime from a young girl in the car with him telling her that they shot him. Bleeding out in his own driver’s seat, was the last time his mother was able to see her son.

After the incident and statements made from the Brooklyn Police Center, there is nothing that they could do or say that could make this okay. The officer who shot Daunte resigned as well as the chief of police at this center. Questions arise though as everyone immediately thinks, is this even enough?

The police may feel this is taking accountability, but this is the major issue that America cannot seem to escape no matter how many tragedies, protests, and evidence of police brutality especially against the African American community. This is now another example of tragedy, the problem, as well as overall research for my team’s final project.

Our goal is to bring diversity and inclusion into Centre County as when incidents locally or nationally occur like this, they somehow believe that there is nothing wrong and do not understand why the world could be so upset. This is the issue we want to put an end to and educate members of this community and eventually nationally in hopes for more inclusion.

From a PR perspective on this heartbreaking issue, resigning is not and will not be enough. Hopefully, justice will be served and there can be a step closer to inclusion in this world. The actions from the police department may feel this is enough for their reputation, but they are certainly wrong and need to fully take accountability because if the roles were reversed, a resignation would never be enough.

Last Saturday, Saturday Night Live had Daniel Kaluuya host the famous comedy night show and his opening monologue was endless jokes towards the allegations on the royal family, as well as overall the issue of racism all over the world. Daniel continuously made jabs at the Royal Family including stating that since he is black and British, it is “basically what the royal family was worried the baby would look like”. That was only one statement as the rest of the monologue emphasized which does the audience think is more racist, America or Britain.

The allegations made against the royal family shook the world as racism is in more places than one would even imagine as Megan was joining a family without knowing what was in store for her. Diversity continues to be a significant topic for discussion, and more times than not, the discussion is not had as many are always fearful of the consequences if they speak out. The courage to speak out is what we need to emphasize, but it is not an easy conversation to get people involved in.

My team is planning to attempt to make that conversation always be something easy to be done and have no one ever doubt themselves when thinking of speaking out. The way Saturday Night Live chose to discuss the issue, as they do all relevant topics in the world is with humor. As humor is not something one would imagine to be a successful topic when discussing diversity and inclusion, if executed well, it could get the word across stronger just like it did in SNL.

This could potentially be a tactic that my team chooses to utilize but from a PR perspective, it may only be successful for shows or organizations that are based upon humor to use this. When making jokes, especially in regards to the big picture here, it can become very insensitive to some as the main issue is some people do not realize that their words, or jokes, are as offensive as they are. Educating individuals is the main goal in an attempt to decrease the insensitive remarks some make to their peers that are extremely offensive. Also to ensure that the people behind computer screens realize that their comments are hurting others.

Community Conversations is our end goal to ultimately bring all of the issues above to an end. The issues are already being brought to the community’s attention on large platforms such as SNL, but now sitting down to discuss them is the challenge we are ready to overcome.

The tragedy of George Floyd’s murder last year has continued to be recognized as the trial of the police officer, Derek Chauvin continues. This week a witness who is an MMA fighter and dialed 911 during the officer holding Floyd down with his knee on his neck, came to the stand in court to testify against Chauvin. The witness explains when asked why he decided to call 911 while watching the horrific arrest, that he felt like he had to because he was witnessing a murder.

Diversity continues on to be a major issue all over the world but more specifically in America. As a continuous national problem with little to no change, the issue of police brutality against African Americans is significant research to my team’s campaign to promote diversity and inclusion in Centre County specifically.

When referring to a court case, testimonies are key to the court’s legal practice, but also can be a significant tactic in our campaign as well. Personal experiences are a tactic that has been strongly discussed to be included as pathos can become a strong persuasive strategy to explain to others why we are all and should all be viewed as equal. To think some may believe others are more superior to others is the main reason why our campaign is being created and needs to be as successful as possible.

We have found that Centre County has a severe diversity issue as many of the residents believe they may be superior to their peers due to different beliefs, race, or even referring to love and gender differences. Testimonials will be very strong during our conversation with the community as members can hear firsthand how their peers are being treated due to their behaviors.

Courage is something that tends to go unnoticed as these conversations and testimonials will not be easy but the praise for each individual’s courage will be strongly admired during our campaign. Ensuring each individual participating is comfortable as well as understands their stories and words are appreciated is another key tactic to make sure there is success in our conversation as well as a large participating group.

Another tactic with reference to this example would be to include this testimony from the court in our PSA prior to our conversation so the community can understand a witness’s perspective on the incident and stress how diversity and inclusion are needed not only in our community but nationally as well.

Following Trump’s presidency and time in office, his ignorant comments towards the country of China due to COVID-19 taking over America resulted in many of his followers placing the blame on Asian people. The hate that Asians have received specifically in the past year has been at an all-time high, which is a major issue for the constant fight for inclusion.

Many anti-hate rallies, PSA’s, and social media posts have been done to help stop the hate for the Asian community in America. A Bay Area Filmmaker recently released an intense PSA to demand the hate to stop and help spread awareness to others as all human beings are and should be treated as equal. The idea of race is something that was created to socially place people with one another, and no race should be treated as less significant than the other and unfortunately, it continues to be done.

My team is completing extensive research in order to try and bring more attention to the need for diversity and inclusion. The issue needs to be resolved somewhere and for any type of success to happen, action needs to be taken locally before nationally. We are attempting to organize a zoom call to bring together people to speak face to face about their struggles, lifestyle, and overall just explain to one another who they are. These efforts are to try and show one another that just because one may appear to look different, they could have been raised or have the same lifestyle as another human being.

Education is the most important tactic that needs to be utilized in our project and I believe this PSA is an excellent example. We had ideas to begin the zoom by showing a short video explaining the issue as well as educating the audience on how everyone deserves to be treated equally. Using personal experiences, emotional appeal, and real-life footage are all tactics that this anti-hate PSA utilized and that I believe my team also needs to use in order for any type of success to come from our campaign.

It only takes one person to have the courage to speak out, and when everyone feels they have a platform to use their voice in a positive way, inclusion can be fulfilled nationally along with locally. Hopefully, our efforts of bringing Centre County together by educating them through an open discussion will be successful by taking examples like this PSA.

It is to no surprise that our former president Donald Trump had to make a public comment that was not in a positive light about the Meghan Markle interview. Trump decided in a podcast to explain that Markle is “no good” and overall continued to bash her following her claims of mental abuse and racism inside The Royal Family. During Trump’s time in office, he has made a name for himself that some would say most of his comments may appear to be arrogant and truthfully just rude. He also made several comments that some would deem as encouraging the issue of racism in the past as well, and this one could possibly be categorized with that.

Trump decided to also speak about Prince Harry who was in the interview with his wife Meghan, but he only had good things to say about the Prince and even wished him good luck that he has to deal with her. From a PR standpoint and in regards to my team’s final project expressing the need for diversity and inclusion, Trump should have kept his mouth shut as the issue had nothing to do with him. To express luck to Markle’s husband as he stood by her and said the same things as she did, it can appear that he is being sexist and belittling Meghan either due to her gender or race in this case.

To shut down the accusations and just claim that Markle is no good or lying about the mental abuse she suffered, enhances the issue that racism is prevalent and there needs to be more inclusion and diversity. This can be seen as a research purpose for my team’s final project, as it is an example of a public figure talking negatively about someone having the cp0urage to speak about their issues. My team is trying to make the courage that it takes to talk about these issues more encouraged and give a platform that people can continue to speak and feel comfortable when they need to. Understanding one another and how things affect each other differently is something that we are trying to tackle, and Trump is an example of what not to do. Being able to have an open mind and heart to listen to one another is key in our project and expressing the need for this is our main focus while we create our campaign.

Everyone knows who The Royal Family is but no one understands the white supremacy that this traditional family holds. Racism is an issue that has been worldwide and tends to never want to go away. There are always going to be people that do or say things without being aware of the effects their words and actions may cause. The conversation of racism is always one that people tend to find uncomfortable but in efforts of our upcoming final project, my group is taking these different areas of research in attempts to change those uncomfortable conversations into courageous conversations.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry recently did an interview with Oprah about the issues of racism going on in The Royal Family that people do not see behind closed doors. This interview shook the world, especially Britain as some of the things mentioned showed a new negative light for the elegant and proper royal family. Meghan mentioned prior to the birth of her son, there was much questioning in regards to if his skin tone will be too dark to represent the U.K.. Once this was said, amongst other horrible things, the world suddenly realized racism continues to exist, and now within people of power.

When the issue of racism becomes discussed, people always have their opinions and comments to make, and not always in a positive or calm manner. In light of this issue, along with the need for diversity and inclusion in our world, this is an essential piece to take into account when considering tactics for my final project.

From a PR standpoint, inclusion should always be one of the first things that come to mind as no matter who the audience may be, they must feel comfortable and included. Oprah provided a strong platform for Meghan and Harry to speak their truth to the world, and I feel it is necessary to take this into account while creating a platform for others specifically in Happy Valley to have continued these courageous conversations. Whether it is to express a story, opinion, or even use this research as to facts, the conversations of racism need to become more common amongst schools, workplaces, and in this case even families.

As this interview is now facing all sorts of media attention in both a positive and negative light, it is relevant it was successful as it is all everyone seems to be talking about. This is something that I personally need to take into account for my project as it is important to understand and see the reactions of the audience to these kinds of conversations.

Recently another Dr.Seuss book has been yanked from publication earlier this week making it the sixth children’s book from Seuss that infers alleged racism. Children grow up celebrating the now controversial author Dr.Seuss through Cat in the Hat days, eating green eggs and ham, and ultimately the first source of learning how to rhyme in a creative way that broadens a child’s imagination.

The famous childrens’ books have gone under speculation as some of them after reading in between the lines and past the fun play on rhyming words, appeared to have hints of racism throughout them. The Associated Press deemed the words in the books to be hurtful and wrong and six of his books will no longer be published. Some consider this long overdue as Seuss has allegedly always left racist remarks in his books.

Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida has a popular attraction titled Seuss Landing in their park where it brings the books of famous Seuss books to life for children to feel like they are living in their favorite books. As it has and continues to be a very popular area for young children and their families, there are references in the area to some of the books that have been yanked from publishing. As the conversation of Seuss to be a racist continues, Universal questions if it is the right thing to do to remove Seuss Landing from their Florida location.

From a PR standpoint, the conversation of racism always needs to be heard and action needs to be taken. It would be in Universal’s best interest to promote diversity and make that bold stand to remove this area or remove the messages from the books that are no longer published. I believe this will attract more visitors to the park to see not only what this area could become, but to go to a place where they feel the owners are inclusive and not afraid of “uncomfortable” conversations.

As generations continue to move on, the removal of Seuss Landing may not have any negative impact as younger kids have new idols to look up to and new stories to learn and tell. Dr.Seuss could be removed from the typical learning curricular and a more inclusive author could become the icon of the rhyming world. Racism is not something to ever be taken lightly and Universal should listen to their audience and make the right decision.

Since the fall of 2020, Justin Bieber has caused conversation in regards to releasing his sixth album sometime this year. After his Changes tour being canceled due to COVID last summer, his rescheduled dates have been renamed to The Justin Bieber World Tour as he originally hinted there would be a new album involved. Over the course of 2020, he has released several new singles including HOLY, Lonely, and Anyone to get people excited and hint at what they can expect from his 6th discography.

Bieber took a long mental and physical health break following his cancellation of the 2nd leg of the Purpose World Tour and has become very active in the last year to make that comeback his beliebers have been waiting for. Justin Bieber is one of the biggest male pop stars has had a lot of pressure from the media throughout his entire career that has not made it easy for his public relations professionals to do their jobs in some instances.

Lately, he has explained through a Youtube documentary series, his music, and several Instagram posts the mental state he was in and how he feels this is the happiest and best point he has been in his entire life. Bieber recently did a Spotify Stream session of his new single Lonely which got the world speaking even more about the release of his new album. He also did a live stream concert on New Year’s Eve as well as Valentine’s Day that added to the fire of getting people ready to see Bieber hit the stage again.

Aside from his live performances, single releases, and activity on social media, Bieber also released video snippets that showed him organizing song titles to potentially be the tracklist for his next album. Twitter went wild after this as everyone had comments to make to show their excitement.

From a PR standpoint, Bieber did not have an easy time in the spotlight and has made some pretty rough decisions for numerous reasons. Due to this, the actions that have been made for his younger target audience to rebrand and build his image have been very smart as a belieber myself, I feel he finally has got it together. The tactic to constantly refer to this album drop in small ways is a brilliant idea as it gets people anxious and excited for the actual release. By the time the album is released, his fan base, and many others have regrown their respect and prepared to take this next journey along with him.

The Bachelor is one of America’s most loved shows that catches the audience of all types of people no matter their age. Its popularity only has grown stronger over the years due to media attention and they love the audience forms for the participants and the bachelor or bachelorette at the time. This large fan base is called bachelor nation and whether one would consider themselves apart of bachelor nation or just see the latest updates on the show online, people tend to have a lot to say.

One of the current contestants of The Bachelor, Rachael Kirkconnell recently received a ton of backlash of accusations and proof of her being a racist in her high school and college days. The photos of Rachael being insensitive to racial issues and testimonials from people who claim were once bullied by her for their race or liking someone of another race, surfaced on the internet and went viral. The attention this show receives did not let this incident get swept under the rug and it has been all anyone has been talking about for a few weeks now.

Chris Harrison, the famous host of The Bachelor recently discussed this topic in an interview with a previous Bachelorette; Rachel Lindsay, and it is safe to say he messed up big time. Deciding to use terms such as “woke police” and overall defending the previous actions of Rachael Kirkconnel did not benefit the situation as a whole and ultimately only made it all a lot worst.

Bachelor host hit Instagram with an apology post following with his choice to leave the show after this season for a time to reflect on himself. Harrison said he will not be at the After the Final Rose ceremony after The Bachelor Finale as he feels his actions were wrong and there need to be consequences.

So now what happens to The Bachelor?

This has been a circulating question on all social media as people say he can be easily replaced and others believe Chris Harrison is the show and they cannot go on without him. From a PR standpoint, it was ultimately beneficial for the show and ABC production to remove Harrison from the show in an attempt to somewhat redeem the reputation.

Racism is a conversation that some deem as uncomfortable but is a conversation that needs to be had. As stepping down was a positive choice in this crisis he got himself in, the show should have made the topic more spoken about to spread awareness as a whole.