Nominations for the Inez Kaiser Graduate Students of Color Awards are being accepted by the AEJMC Public Relations Division (PRD) and the Mass Communication and Society Division (MCSD) through May 30, 2025. The award honors Inez Kaiser, the first African-American woman to belong to PRSA and to head a public relations agency with national clients. Inez Kaiser & Associates was the first African-American female-owned PR agency with national clients. The Kaiser Awards are co-sponsored by PRD and MCSD.
The total amount of each award is $1,000. Two award recipients received funding intended to cover one-year memberships to AEJMC and the PRD or MCSD with additional funding that could be used toward research costs or conference travel (such as AEJMC Midwinter, AEJMC SE Colloquium, or the 2025 Annual Conference).
2025 guidelines were that eligible students of color must be enrolled in graduate study in a communication, mass communication, or public relations program and intend to pursue a career as a public relations/mass communication educator. Students who were finishing their degrees in 2025 were also eligible (including those who have already defended or ABD students). The awards seek to encourage these students' academic career aspirations, and, in turn, their involvement broadens the diversity within the PRD and MCSD, AEJMC, and the mass communication and public relations professions.
The winners of the 2025 Inez Kaiser Graduate Students of Color Awards were