Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Fifteen Percent Pledge founder Aurora James will invest in Black businesses, the U.S. Army developed a bra for combat, and a powerful woman in PR tells CEOs how to handle Pride backlash and more. Have a terrific Tuesday.
– PR guru. Lisa Osborne Ross is the CEO of U.S. Operations for Edelman, the public relations firm. The position makes her one of the most powerful women in PR—someone CEOs trust to guide their strategies and set them on the right course during challenging moments.
And the past month has been full of rough patches. Increasingly, companies that have supported LGBTQ rights during June’s Pride Month in past years are dampening down their efforts. Political polarization and right-wing backlash toward corporate support of trans people (plus concern for the safety of frontline employees meeting such hostility) have forced Target and Starbucks to reconsider how they mark Pride month.
Companies may also be rethinking their engagement with Juneteenth amid criticism that corporate efforts to acknowledge the federal holiday that celebrates the emancipation of enslaved people amounts to pandering.
Osborne Ross, in an interview with Coins2Day‘s Phil Wahba, says she advises companies to prioritize consistency. “I am Black 24/7, I am a woman 24/7, my colleagues who are transgender are transgender 24/7, and those who are gay are gay 24/7,” the CEO says. “My point of view on Pride month and Juneteenth is I struggle with how you take a community and focus on it for a month, and then go about your business for the rest of the year. To truly see someone, you have to interact with them 24/7.”
Action earns trust, she adds. The firms that falter are usually those that show up only once a year for these communities.
And to CEOs complaining that they have to be experts on social issues in addition to running their businesses, Osborne Ross doesn’t have much sympathy. She tells them, “Yes, you have to do both since workforces increasingly require that.”
Read the rest of her insight on CEOs’ PR balancing act here.
Emma Hinchliffe
[email protected]
@_emmahinchliffe
The Broadsheet is Coins2Day’s newsletter for and about the world’s most powerful women. Subscribe here.
ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
- On board. The first Black woman to sit on a corporate board was Patricia Roberts Harris, who joined the board of IBM in 1971. Her story and its impact is explored in the new documentary OnBoard, about the history of Black women on corporate boards. Coins2Day
- From activism to investing. Aurora James, the founder of the Fifteen Percent Pledge, is funding Black founders. With Alisa Williams, a partner at the private equity firm VMG Partners, James is launching the Friends and Family Collective to back Black-owned businesses. Fast Company
- Last episode. Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex's $20 million podcasting deal with Spotify is coming to an end as the streamer overhauls its original audio strategy. The couple reportedly failed to meet "productivity benchmarks" and will be paid less than the deal's total compensation. The two sides said they "mutually agreed" to part ways. Wall Street Journal
- Pulling the purse strings. In the Securities and Exchange Commission's lawsuit against cryptocurrency exchange Binance, the name Guangying “Heina” Chen frequently appears. Chen doesn't have a public-facing role but documents reveal her holding more influence than anyone other than founder Changpeng Zhao. Forbes
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
- Super bra. The U.S. Army spent years developing the "Army Tactical Brassiere," or its combat-ready bra. This story dives into the design process and the history of women in the military that led to the bra's creation: The New Yorker
- Board rules. Norway's government has agreed to introduce a quota requiring company boards to be 40% women within the next five years. The rule will apply to companies with more than $9.4 million in revenue. Bloomberg
- Judy-verse. Judge Judith Sheindlin—also known as Judge Judy—is a big deal at Amazon Freevee. The ad-supported streaming service has gone all in on the Judy-verse, greenlighting a flagship show, which became its top program, and at least two spinoffs. New York Times
ON MY RADAR
Kourtney Kardashian, pregnant at 44, joins growing list of celebrities to conceive well into their 40s Jezebel
The startling intimacy of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour The New Yorker
Beatrix Potter, the unlikely hero of the anti-hustle culture movement Vox
PARTING WORDS
"Sometimes you feel like the world’s most powerful baby. Everybody dictates your life."
—The Bear star Ayo Edebiri, on finding success in Hollywood
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