For the past year, there has been a greater emphasis placed on three key words: diversity, equity and inclusion. With protests over the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, against antisemitism and anti-Asian hate crimes and for gender equality, our nation has been in a period of reckoning and self-reflection. Against the backdrop of a fight to survive during a global pandemic, Americans across the nation turned to their local radio and television stations to keep them safe and informed about what was going on in their communities.
Diversity has always been interwoven into NAB’s mission as we launch and support initiatives to improve diversity in broadcasting and create new opportunities for women, people of color and underrepresented communities. While there is still much work to be done, one of the unique aspects local broadcasters have is their ability to reflect the diverse communities they serve. We work with our members to ensure that diversity is not only reflected in the faces seen in front of the camera and the voices heard over the airwaves, but also in the board rooms where advocates fight for policies to keep local radio and television stations on the air.
This effort extends to the work we do within NAB. We continue to build a workforce that reflects the communities our members serve, including within our Government Relations department, which advocates for our broadcasters on Capitol Hill and at the White House.
Our goal to support diversity aligns with the Diversity in Government Relations (DGR) Coalition Industry pledge, the first of its kind in the Government Relations industry. DGR’s mission is “to foster and strengthen diversity, equity and inclusion among entities that influence local, state and federal policy through data collection, strategic communications and stakeholder engagement.” The coalition’s leadership team includes representatives from a variety of organizations including Women in Government Relations, the Congressional Management Foundation and the National Journal.
The pledge states: “We commit to increasing understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and its impact on the government relations field; intentionally addressing the gaps in diverse representation of our staff and our leadership teams that influence local, state, federal and international policy and exploring the unintended consequences that result from policy and advocacy that lack diverse representation, voice and perspective.”
NAB is proud to be one of four early adopters of the DGR pledge, along with America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), Signal Group and Women’s Global Impact Initiative. As we continue to advocate before members of Congress and the Administration, we will continue to recruit, hire and promote talent that represents the richness of our nation and broadcasting ecosystem.
For more information regarding the DGR Coalition, click here.
