Black Consciousness and Multicultural Diversity in a Brazilian Public Relations Agency

Abstract

This study focused on whether and how the corporate public relations industry in Brazil is incorporating multicultural diversity, through in-depth interviews with Afro-Brazilian practitioners and White Brazilian senior executives in an agency. It is contextualized within Brazilian Black consciousness and governmental policy changes on affirmative action. While this study found evidence of discrimination, there was also evidence of the notion and practice of inclusion of all practitioners, regardless of race and ethnicity, which parallels the general practices of inclusion within the social class structure of Brazilian culture. The findings also indicate that agencies and their clients could benefit from hiring and promoting multicultural practitioners, because they bring with them cultural insight, through their cultural background, experiences, knowledge, identity, and opinions. The importance of recognizing and practicing multiculturalism is becoming increasingly important as markets and target audiences are becoming increasingly global.