HBCUs as relics or reminders race remains relevant in a 'Post-Racial' society? Exploring and expanding the role of memory in public relations

摘要

In this article, the authors broaden the scope of the communication, public relations, and memory research by both critically analyzing the post-racial society collective memory narrative and postulating the public relations-oriented defensive strategies, which racially stigmatized organizations contesting the same narrative might employ. To make this argument, we choose Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) as cases for analysis. This study contributes to the post-racial society discussions by highlighting the ways in which HBCUs are not antiquated relics of a period gone by in the history of the United States but rather serve as a standing institutional reminder that racial injustices exist and persist in contemporary United States.