SRB Communications

Support this July! Up to one in four Americans have some type of disability, estimates the CDC.

In honor of , here’s a guide to the Diversity Pride flag’s design:

The Flag’s stripes represent the full spectrum of disabilities.
• Red: Physical disabilities
• Gold: Neurodiversity
• White: Invisible and undiagnosed disabilities
• Blue: Emotional and psychiatric disabilities
• Green: Sensory disabilities
• Black: People who have died due to ableism, violence, negligence, su***de, rebellion, illness and eugenics

“Defend Democracy, Demand Diversity and Defeat Poverty.” Today, on the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 we’re sharing The National Urban League‘s 2024 State of Black America report to inspire you to act. http://www.stateofblackamerica.org/reports/2024

Lucile Harris Bluford, born on this date in 1911, led the Kansas City Call. Her fearless journalism established Missouri’s Call as one of the nation’s most influential Black newspapers during the Civil Rights era. Read her story: https://bit.ly/3xyOoOi

June is Audiobook Appreciation Month. If you're looking for an audiobook recommendation, here’s one: "We Refuse to Be Silent: Women’s Voices On Justice for Black Men." This anthology is edited by trailblazing journalist Angela P. Dodson and includes essays by more than 35 accomplished women writers about racism and injustice against Black men. Dr. Sheila Brooks, SRB Communications’ founder and CEO, is one of the contributors.

The SRB Team attended a networking event with the Washington Business Journal in Arlington, Virginia on Tuesday. What a great view!

Have you been enjoying the content on our socials? Take it up a notch and subscribe to our quarterly newsletter. Visit our website or follow this link. https://bit.ly/45AAgj3

As SRB Communications marks its 34th birthday this summer, founder and CEO Dr. Sheila Brooks is celebrating a milestone that nine out of 10 U.S. small businesses never reach. How did she do it? A crucial insight she gained through experience taught her to prioritize her time by personally taking charge of SRB’s business development and hiring talented people to do the rest. “I was spending too much time working in the business and not on the business. Now I’m the strategist. I’m the chief rainmaker.”

Congratulations to all the 66th Capital Emmy Award winners and nominees! Though we did not win, we had a great time celebrating with our clients and peers. Best thing about it, the are all winners! Lesli Foster The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences

We enjoyed a busy week making business connections! The Capital Region Minority Supplier Development Council Super Matchmaker Conference was a rewarding experience. Thank you for championing minority-owned businesses and providing a space where we can connect with other certified and companies!

We also attended the Diversity in Action business event at Washington Gas. A very informative dialogue with supplier diversity experts and minority business owners.

Tomorrow! Join us at the DC Public Library for an author talk on Rodney A Brook's new book: The Freedman's Bank. bit.ly/45fbnum

If summer represents a more relaxed and easygoing spell – perhaps with a vacation thrown in – nothing beats the season’s initial day.

Although many people flip their seasonal switch on Memorial Day, the first day of summer offers a unique benefit. Also known as the summer solstice, it stands out as the longest day on the calendar, this year June 20 in the Northern Hemisphere. Those of us along the equator see roughly 12 hours of daylight, while individuals 40 degrees north get about 15 hours to enjoy.

More than an astronomical fact, the first day of summer is an unofficial holiday. It’s been celebrated for thousands of years around the world, evidenced by phenomenal monuments in countries such as England, Egypt and Peru. It kicks off the busiest time of year for barbecues and beaches, with plenty of fairs, festivals and fireworks to choose from.

While New Year’s Day often leads to resolutions on exercise, diet and weight, the first day of summer often reveals one’s level of adherence to the plans. It starts the stretch when ice cream tastes sweeter, ice water seems colder and (with climate change and whatnot) everyone feels hotter.

George Gershwin wrote Summertime for the folk opera Porgy and Bess, calling it a period where “the living is easy.” DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince concurred 50 years later, and we agree with their instructions for the season:

“Time to sit back and unwind. Summertime.”

During a keynote address in July 1852, at an event commemorating the Declaration of Independence, Frederick Douglass asked, “What to the slave is the Fourth of July?” Today, someone might ask, “What is Juneteenth to the enslaved people’s descendants?”

The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture says Juneteenth marks America’s “second independence day,” long celebrated in the Black community but largely unknown elsewhere until it became a federal holiday in 2021. But just like the country’s initial Independence Day (July 4), the commemorative date for Black people’s independence (June 19) comes with asterisks.

Contrary to wives’ tales and urban legends, Juneteenth doesn’t celebrate the day when enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas finally learned they were free. It’s the day, in 1865, when 2,000 Union troops arrived and finally enforced the newly won freedom as mandated by the Emancipation Proclamation. But even that history lesson isn’t cut-and-dried.

Slavery wasn’t outlawed throughout the country until Congress ratified the 13th Amendment on Dec. 6 of that year – eight months after Confederate forces surrendered the South’s cause. Some states still clung stubbornly to their so-called rights; Delaware didn’t ratify the 13th Amendment until 1901 and Kentucky held out all the way until 1976, finally making slavery illegal.

However, there must be a date to commemorate freedom for African Americans. The Fourth of July doesn’t cut it because many Founding Fathers were enslavers in 1776. Therefore, June 19 (often celebrated on the third Saturday) gets the honor.

Happy Juneteenth!

The SRB Team was thrilled to support our clients Howard University and the CDC Foundation at their Project REFOCUS Community Summit this past Thursday in Atlanta, Georgia. The event centered on the experience of six partner communities that implemented the Community-Informed Monitoring and Response System (CMRS) and framework. The Summit was an opportunity for the community partners and researchers to reflect on project learnings from Phases I and II. The perspectives shared by attendees will inform local-level approaches that address racialized stigma and trauma through monitoring, responding to and recovering from public health crises.

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers and father figures, especially our dads!

Join us at DC Public Library for a discussion on Rodney A. Brooks new book: The Freedman's Bank. bit.ly/45fbnum

Arlan Hamilton is an investor and founder who built a venture capital fund from the ground up, all while homeless. That’s why her book, It’s About Damn Time: How to Turn Being Underestimated into Your Greatest Advantage, is the perfect intersectional read to help you level up your skills in business this Pride Month.

The SRB Team is to announce yet another award nomination for our work on the Maryland Public Television and Maryland Department of Health Fentanyl and Xylazine PSA! This time, we are nominated by The National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for a 66th Annual Emmy Award. We cannot express our gratitude enough for this nomination and look forward to hearing the results at the 66th Capital Emmy Awards Gala on June 22.

June 10 is National Iced Tea Day, though some people call the beloved beverage “ice tea” or “sweet tea.”

The latter might seem odd because so many establishments only offer unsweetened versions and suggest adding sugar if desired. And then there’s “lemonade tea,” which must have its biggest fan in Arnold Palmer, the legendary golfer whose name is also the concoction’s alias.

Some folks prefer iced tea that’s infused with the flavor of peaches, raspberries or other fruits … if not something stronger. Records of alcohol-drenched iced teas date to the Colonial era. According to liquor historian David Wondrich, the recipe for a popular punch in 1815 called for green tea with citrus juice, sugar, champagne, brandy, rum and a rum-like liquor from South Asia. That drink stands in contrast to the famously boozy Long Island iced tea, which contrary to its name contains no tea.

According to the Tea Association of the USA, tea is present in more than 80% of American households. Of the 86 billion servings that Americans consumed last year, roughly 77% was iced. No figures on how much was traced to actor/rapper Ice-T, who two years ago marked the drink’s holiday by serving customers at a Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers in Phoenix.

Whether brewed from scratch or poured from a bottle, iced tea has gone from a summertime treat to a year-round staple, with a national day of recognition. Enjoy!

Capital Pride continues with a Pride Parade this Saturday, June 8th. Save the date!

Join author Rodney A. Brooks for a conversation on The Freedman’s Savings Bank on 6/22. https://bit.ly/45fbnum

Fame and celebrity were once reserved for a select few in entertainment. But that was before social media influencers became a thing, especially individuals from multicultural backgrounds. Partnering with the right influencer can be valuable for brands looking to grow trustworthiness and credibility, particularly among potential new customers. Check out our latest blog on working with these nouveau celebrities, perhaps relatively anonymous among chunks of the mass public but reputable voices among targeted slices of cyberspace. https://bit.ly/3yM7yAB

National Gardening Week has arrived! Here’s to hoping you find time June 2-8 to catch some sun, find serenity and get your hands dirty in fresh earth. Plant flowers, vegetables, herbs or painted rocks – it doesn’t matter. Just have fun. If you've already started your garden, help someone else get one going. Or find a neglected patch of land close to home and create something that will make people smile when they pass by this summer. That’s every gardener’s reward.

This , create positive change by amplifying LGBTQ+ causes. It's easy!

Check out the redesign on the SRB Communications’ website! We think it’s a terrific showcase for what our boutique marketing, advertising and PR agency can do for clients. Website design and development is just one of the full range of digital communications services we offer!

Over the past year, the SRB team totally reimagined and retooled its website with brighter images; sharper, more succinct copy and visuals that show off the full range of the work we do here. After all, websites are marketing companies’ front doors to clients. We want our entranceway to look amazing.

This overhaul was a lot of work by the SRB team and our web developer, . Starting last summer, we held meeting after meeting to brainstorm ideas that shaped every element of the brand project. We (politely!) hashed over communications strategy and endless details about the right words, the right images and the right organization to accomplish our goals for our new website. We brainstormed ideas that are still memorialized with a light green marker on a floor-to-ceiling whiteboard in our downtown Washington, D.C. office. Whew!

Company awards are a badge of honor. Your awards set you apart from the competition. They validate your team’s work. They help build and strengthen confidence and trust. They help grow your business!

Congratulations on winning three international AVA awards for our work with Maryland Public Television and the Maryland State Ad Agency, in partnership with the Maryland Department of Health.

Take a look at our 30-second PSA running on TV and radio networks in the state of Maryland. https://srbcommunications.com/maryland-public-television

Have fun this holiday weekend but try to observe Memorial Day’s true purpose, too.

Let’s honor men and women who died in the service of their country, particularly in battle or because of a wound received in battle.

We at SRB Communications are grateful for the sacrifices made by generations of U.S. soldiers on so many battlefields. Amid this weekend’s plethora of Memorial Day sales, beach trips and picnics, its somber side also deserves recognition. And it will be given.

Flags will wave and flowers will brighten soldiers’ graves at cemeteries today. Marching bands will parade down crowd-lined streets. “Taps” will be played at memorial services. Prayers will be said.

No matter where you’ll be, the website www.Veteran.com suggests one way you can honor those who served and died.

Observe a national moment of remembrance with a minute of silence at 3 p.m. local time Monday. If you are driving and unable to stop, turn on your headlights for a minute.

Check too with your local veterans’ organizations, monuments, military bases and local governments in your area for Memorial Day events. Have a good weekend!

At we’ve experienced a wonderful period of growth as the direct result of increased efficiency and productivity. Today, we applaud our Chief of Staff, Jillynn Greene, who has a direct impact on our business development and productivity, overseeing program management and communicating objectives to the leadership team. Happy Birthday from the ! We appreciate you so much, Jillynn. Keep up the great work!

A prominent civil and human rights activist, Malcolm X was a crusader for Black empowerment. Today, we celebrate Malcolm’s birthday and his lifetime of achievements. Founder and former President, trailblazing journalist and author Les Payne penned his story in these pages with the help of his talented daughter, : https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Are-Arising-Life-Malcolm/dp/1631491660

Our nation’s appalling record of violence and injustice against Black men is the subject of a powerful new book of essays by more than 35 accomplished women writers. We at SRB are proud to share that Dr. Sheila Brooks, our CEO, is one of those writers.

This book’s title is “We Refuse to Be Silent: Women’s Voices on Justice for Black Men.” It arrives four years after George Floyd’s killing and almost 70 years after Emmett Till’s. The Library Journal’s editors have listed it as a Spring Pick.

Edited by trailblazing journalist Angela P. Dodson, “We Refuse to Be Silent” contributors also include Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson; Darnella Frazier, a citizen journalist who was awarded a Pulitzer citation for her role filming the murder of George Floyd; award-winning journalist and author Charisse Jones, and Brenda M. Greene, founder and executive director of the Center for Black Literature.

Learn more about “We Refuse to Be Silent” and read a full list of recommendations here: >> https://hubs.li/Q02lySFj0