Inez Yeargan Kaiser (April 22, 1918 – July 31, 2016) was an American educator, public relations expert, and entrepreneur. She was the first African-American woman to run a public relations company with national clients.

Early life and education

Kaiser was born in

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of the ...

. She grew up in a time when African Americans in the South were not allowed the opportunity of a higher education. But she was determined to gain an education. Her father told her "no one can take away from you what’s in your head.” Kaiser earned a bachelor's degree in education from Pittsburg State University in 1941. Later, she earned a master's degree from Columbia University. She also studied at Chicago University, Rockhurst University, and Dartmouth College. She also undertook special training in radio and TV network, retailing and merchandising in fashions.

Career

Kaiser taught home economics for more than 20 years in public schools. In 1957, she founded Inez Kaiser & Associates, which was both the first public relations firm led by an African-American woman and the first business owned by an African American to open in Kansas City. By the early 1960s, after securing 7 Up and other big accounts, she had become the first African-American woman to run a public relations firm with national clients. She was the first African-American woman to join the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and the

Public Relations Society of America The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) is a nonprofit trade association for public relations professionals. It was founded in 1947 by combining the American Council on Public Relations and the National Association of Public Relations Coun ...

, the profession's trade association.

Writing career

Kaiser began writing a column, "Fashion Wise and Otherwise", as a hobby, but she became so interested in helping other African-American women that she devoted several years to contacting publishers across the country, as well as promoting the use of pictures of models of color, giving them employment in areas where they had never been considered before. She wrote a column in '' The Kansas City Star'' titled "As I See It". Kaiser also wrote a cookbook titled ''Soul Food Cookery'', which was published in 1960.

Political views

Kaiser was a life-long Republican, and she advised the Nixon and Ford administrations on issues related to minority women and business. According to her son, she voted for Barack Obama.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaiser, Inez Y. 1918 births 2016 deaths African-American company founders American company founders American women company founders African-American educators African-American women educators American public relations people Businesspeople from Kansas Columbia University alumni People from Kansas City, Kansas Pittsburg State University alumni Kansas Republicans Writers from Kansas City, Kansas 20th-century American businesspeople 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American businesspeople