In 2022, Mississippi State University Associate Professor Melody Fisher published a book to provide a discussion on marginalized groups in the field of public relations.
Fisher said she was concerned by the lack of diversity and representation that she saw in textbooks used in communication departments — particularly in chapters covering the history of the field.
She intended for her book, “The Untold Power: Underrepresented Groups in Public Relations,” to be used as an introductory text for those interested in public relations. Her book is organized into three parts: past, present and future.
The idea for her book formed in 2018 after she presented research on the representation of ethnic minorities in textbooks.
Fisher’s research showed that, in the previous 20 years, few advancements had been made in the areas of representation, diversity and equity for these texts.
Fisher spent the next three years conducting library research, speaking with practitioners of public relations and profiling scholars virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With her research, Fisher gathered the content necessary to write a book responding to the lack of diversity she saw in communication and public relations texts.
“The purpose of my book is to fill that void that those chapters or even books about the history of public relations leave,” Fisher said.
Her book covers strategies historically used in public relations and stories of those currently making strides toward diversity and equality in the field.
Fisher said she believes anyone can benefit from reading her book, and anyone who is interested in communicating effectively can be a scholar of the discipline.
“In all of our social movements, those groups practiced public relations: the civil rights movement, the farm workers’ movement, the American Indian movement. Even though it wasn’t termed ‘public relations,’ that is exactly what they were doing,” Fisher said.
Mary Michaela Parker, marketing and communication coordinator in the agricultural communications department, said she agrees that knowledge of communication and public relations is useful to anyone in any field.
“I think people underestimate just how important communications efforts are,” Parker said. “Whether you’re a math professor or someone who works in agriculture, you’re going to have to engage in some form of communication. We all communicate.”
Fisher spoke of the message she intends for readers to take from her book.
“I want people to get a full view of history. Not to say that we dwell in the past, but to say that we can move forward from it and advance,” Fisher said.
Angelina Leopard, a freshman majoring in communication, expressed a similar sentiment.
“We shouldn’t dwell in the past, but instead open a new pathway,” Leopard said.
Aspen Harris, a freshman communication major, said she has seen some of those new pathways beginning to open already.
“Clearly, there is massive growth and change occurring,” Harris said. “With these changes comes the ability for all minorities to eventually ‘break the glass ceiling’ and be more represented. It will take time, but I believe the field will continue to grow and become more diverse every year.”
Fisher’s book, “The Untold Power: Underrepresented Groups in Public Relations,” is available for purchase. For more information, readers can visit the Business Expert Press website.
