PRSSA’s Bateman competition has come to a close, having run from Feb. 11 to March 11.
Samford’s 2019 team included students Jack Biedermann, Ashley Hinson, Anne Davis Parks and Page Secreast. Each year, Samford’s Journalism and Mass Communication Department hosts a team as a part of its Public Relations academic concentration. The name of this year’s Samford team’s campaign was Voices of BHAM.
Participants in the nationwide competition promoted the book “Diverse Voices: Profiles in Leadership,” a book developed by the PRSA Foundation in partnership with the Museum of Public Relations.
“By embracing diversity, we as a Society can build stronger relationships with the professional community and enrich the public relations industry as a whole,” PRSSA National President Andrew Young said according to a PRSSA press release. “I know participants of this Competition will use their skills and creativity to spark conversations on campus about diversity and inclusion, using Diverse Voices as a source of guidance and inspiration.”
While Samford students are a part of the target audience for the campaign, it was also geared toward professionals in the Birmingham area.
Events for the Voices of BHAM campaign, all focused on inclusion and diversity, included a film screening of “Woodlawn,” tabling in Ben Brown Plaza and ended with a booklet release at the Vulcan Park and Museum. The booklet, created by the Voices of BHAM team, was a compilation of different stories of PR professionals in Birmingham. The team also spoke on their experience with the campaign.
“We are so excited to start this campaign and help spark a conversation across our campus and in the Birmingham community,” team member Ashley Hinson said in a Voices of BHAM press release.
