Let me just preface this profile by saying how much I adore Lurma Rackley. I wrote an article about Lurma back in 2007 when I was a staff writer for the Washington City Paper. The article was about how Lurma’s book on Washington figure Petey Greene-the man’s only authorized biography, was not referenced at all for the 2007 Focus Features biopic “Talk to Me”. It’s an interesting story, so check it out.
Anyway, Lurma is an incredible woman and writer who has been in the media industry for years. I am so honored to profile her here on Mopwater PR+ Media Notes.
Lurma Rackley
Lurma Rackley, 59
Atlanta, GA
Media Relations Director
Seven years
Mopwater: Describe your path to PR.
LR: Journalism and Public Relations in many ways are two sides of the same coin: Communications. I started my career as a newspaper reporter at what was then the afternoon daily for the nation’s capital, The Evening Star (which became The Washington Star), right out of college. My desire to be a journalist developed during my senior year in college when I was on the staff of a Student Government-created paper we called “Your Mama is Black,” to encourage race pride and activism. At that time, it became clear to me that without effective news communications (with many voices and backgrounds contributing), humanity’s progress slows and injustice finds fertile ground.
The aim of news reporting and of public relations is to influence people and their behavior. I hope my contribution to both the news business and the PR business has influenced people for the good.
I left the newspaper after nine years, the last two as an editor on the copy and assignment desks. Next, I joined the DC Government, putting in 11 years there first as an editor in the Office of Planning, then as Deputy Press Secretary, Deputy Communications Director, and finally Press Secretary to the Mayor. I was able to employ my background in media to help me balance the needs of the reporters covering City Hall with the needs of the Mayor’s Office to engage with and inform the public responsibly.
After leaving government, I worked for an international public relations firm, serving a variety of clients, before moving to the top communications position at Amnesty International USA. Working for an international human rights organization fulfilled my desire to contribute positively to a cause on the continuum of domestic civil rights, in which my family and I were deeply involved during my teenage years. Next, I took a job at Eddie Bauer, to form the company’s first Corporate Social Responsibility unit and to help make decisions about which organizations the company would partner with and support. From there, I came to the humanitarian organization CARE, once again allowing me to contribute to a noble cause. Read the full story
