How to Sustain the Movement - Karen Boykin-Towns
Karen Boykin-Towns is a results-driven leader and agent of change. Karen was invited to speak at a virtual panel discussion held by PRecise Communications. The discussion was titled Culture and Convos- Maximizing Black Voices & Brand Power for Social Change, and encompassed topics like racism in America, equality, the recent protests, and so on. Karen spoke alongside Hill Harper — renowned actor, author, and activist.
Karen has had extensive experience in PR, strategic planning, and outreach — which have allowed her a knack for connecting with people. With a unique perspective, leading businesses and civic organizations, Karen has been able to bridge communications gaps and has brought people together on common ground.
In this section of the conversation, Karen talks about how to sustain the ongoing movement.
“When speaking about the ongoing movement, a lot of companies take the advice of these consultants that they bring in or those that are sitting at the table. I think it’s important that we not minimize where we are. Where we are reminding them that “well you said x, y, and z, we need to continue to meet on this.” One of the things that I’m also doing, is as I’m seeing things that other companies are doing, whether it’s good or bad, I send them to my clients just to keep them informed.
“I find that it is important to continuously remind my clients the benefits of staying involved in the movement, to keep the promises they make, and so on. They will have better companies by focusing on this. This movement is not going away, so my purpose is to keep them slightly focused and show them what their peers are doing as well. When seeing how others are dealing with the same situation, either in terms of their reputation or in terms of the leadership position they hold in the public sphere.
“While in the larger picture, it’s about doing the right thing, one must also keep their business in mind. At the end of the day, both these causes need to be married. If someone isn’t doing it right, you can drop them a dime, that used to happen a lot at the NAACP. At this point in time, we need to believe in ourselves, we have to know the power that we wield to be able to really make a difference. We may not always understand it, but we are in a really powerful position right now and it is important to leverage that. We have to make those around us proud and move forward with bravery and courage.”
