PR pioneer Inez Y. Kaier, the first Black woman in the United States to own a PR firm, has died. Seh was 98.
On top of her many accomplishments, Kaiser was also the first Black American to own a business in Kansas City, Missouri, The Kansas City Star reports.
Kaiser was born April 22, 1918 in Kansas City, Mo. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in education from Pittsburg State University and taught home economics in Kansas City schools while also writing a column called “Fashion-wise and Otherwise” before earning a Master’s from Columbia University. She was also awarded an honorary Doctorate degree from Lincoln University.
It was in 1957 that Kaiser founded her PR firm, Inez Kaiser & Associates; her first big client was 7-Up.
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In an interview with The Museum of Public Relations, Kaiser once advised, “Always be thoughtful and thorough with your clients, and try your best to develop a personal relationship with them.” Her wisdom was well sought after by the White House on matters of minority women and business during the Nixon and Ford administrations.
Her son Rick Kaiser says she always lived by the words of author Napoleon Hill, “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”
We celebrate Inez Y. Kaiser’s life and accomplishments!