National Black Business Month, Back-to-School, and More People & Culture News Trends

A look at the people and culture news from PR Newswire in July and August that you might have missed.

By Ally Bautista | Published Sept. 11, 2023

Throughout July and August, PR Newswire distributed more than 1,900 people and culture-related press releases. These two months included a handful of designated months and holidays to commemorate diverse groups. While tracking the headlines, our team noticed news related to the following recurring trends: Back-to-school, National Black Business Month, Disability Pride Month, and Indigenous peoples.

Let’s take a closer look at these trends and additional newsworthy stories from July and August.

Popular People & Culture Releases

These were some of the most-viewed people and culture-related releases over the past two months:

• Cracker Jack® recognized nine young female athletes with the I Am Cracker Jill® Award to inspire girls and women in sports. The recipients will receive $5,000 to support their sports endeavors, and grand prize winner Lindsey Zurbrugg will appear on special-edition Cracker Jill packaging.
• ONE Musicfest, in partnership with Live Nation Urban, unveiled its 2023 lineup. In celebration of hip-hop’s 50^th anniversary, this year’s festival includes a curated stage featuring legends like Nelly, DJ Drama, KRS-One, and more.
• Gerber announced the winner of the 13^th annual Photo Search. Along with serving as the 2023 Gerber Baby, Maddie Mendoza and her family received several prizes, including a $25,000 cash prize that Gerber will match with a donation to support March of Dimes’ maternal and infant health programs.
• Age Wave conducted a Harris Poll study to investigate Americans’ changing views of aging. The survey polled over 2,000 U.S. adults on topics about their perceptions of older adults and their own values for the later years of their lives.

People & Culture News Trends

These are a few of the trends we noticed among people and culture-related press releases in July and August, with a few examples of each.

Back-to-School News

Summer is ending, fall is just around the corner, and school is back in session. In the U.S., the school year begins for many in late August or early September, making July and August an ideal time for back-to-school planning. In October 2021, about 74 million children and adults in the U.S. were enrolled in school, from nursery to college.

With over 220 releases mentioning “back-to-school” in July and August, news spanned several topics, including new collections of school supplies and clothing, studies surveying parents of students, and more. However, one topic stood out: companies making charitable donations to benefit students and their families and teachers. Here are a few:

• GoGo squeeZ and actress Leighton Meester teamed up to pack lunchboxes and provided up to 250,000 meals to families through a donation to Feeding America.
• United pledged $1.25 million to DonorsChoose.org to fund aviation and STEM projects in classrooms across the country.
• Chipotle showed its support for teachers by giving away up to $100,000 in school supplies. Guests were also encouraged to use its Round-Up for Real Change feature to support the Kids In Need Foundation.
• Teddy Grahams launched Fair Book Fairs and committed $100,000 to Save the Children's Make Summer Fair campaign to bridge the summertime learning gap.

National Black Business Month

There are around 3.12 million Black-owned businesses in the U.S., and Black business owners have reported feelings of racial disparities and financial challenges. While Black-owned businesses should be supported year-round, August is National Black Business Month, a time to celebrate Black entrepreneurs and their contributions to the economy.

70 releases from July and August mentioned “Black-owned” and shined a spotlight on Black-owned businesses, as well as events, partnerships, and grants. Some examples include:

• Stagwell and Allison+Partners hosted “Black-Owned Media in America: Recognizing Value, Contributions and the Need for Partnership,” a panel and networking event with top executives from Black-owned and operated media outlets and platforms.
• PepsiCo’s Pepsi® Dig In Day returned to celebrate and support Black-owned restaurants with new activities across the country, including a block party, dinner events, and free food.
• tarte cosmetics announced the Second Annual Shape Your Future™ Small Business Awards, a program that will grant $300,000 to Black female entrepreneurs.
• Now and Later® and media personality La La Anthony partnered to spotlight and support emerging Black-owned self-care businesses through the ‘Pause Now, Hustle Later’ Grant.

Disability Pride Month

July is Disability Pride Month, established to commemorate the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which became law on July 26, 1990. According to the CDC, up to 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. has some type of disability. This large number illustrates the importance of increasing visibility and representation and celebrating people with disabilities.  

With the American Association of People with Disabilities releasing the 2023 Disability Equality Index in July, stories featuring companies like Hershey’s, Meijer, and more earning a spot as a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” were popular. But more top news about people with disabilities hit the wire, highlighting new partnerships and groundbreaking launches. Here are a few:

• ES Gaming, powered by Easterseals, announced a partnership with Oxygen Esports (OXG) to enhance inclusion and accessibility for disabled gamers through visibility on OXG's platform.
• Winky Lux partnered with beauty creators with disabilities who curated collections of their favorite products and shared how they spark joy.
• Daniel's Music Foundation launched Just Call Me By My Name, a new record label for musicians with disabilities. The label's compilation albums, distributed by The Orchard, will coincide with key disability awareness dates throughout the year.
• Doable launched alongside sister company Consumers with Disabilities Research Foundation, aiming to improve disability representation in advertising and marketing.

Indigenous Peoples News

July and August saw many releases pertaining to Indigenous peoples or Native Americans crossing the wire. Highlighting these communities is important, as they make up a significant part of the country's population. From 2017 to 2021, 2.7 million U.S. residents identified as American Indian and Alaska Native alone. Additionally, 6.3 million identified as American Indian and Alaska Native alone or in combination with other races.

These releases covered topics like celebrating Indigenous art, initiatives to protect Indigenous land, and partnerships and grants to promote diversity and representation. Some examples include:

• SWAIA's Santa Fe Indian Market announced this year’s Best of Show winners, recognizing Indigenous artists in a variety of juried categories.
• The Coharie Tribe and WellCare of North Carolina made a joint commitment to the Great Coharie River Initiative, aiming to enhance the health of both the environment and the people.
• The Intertribal Timber Council announced the fourth independent report on the status of Tribal forests, which found that these forests receive less funding than public and private forests.
• Aristocrat Gaming deepened its long-standing relationship with AISES by providing a $500,000 donation toward programs that increase Indigenous peoples’ representation in STEM.

Looking Ahead

We anticipate seeing more Indigenous peoples news in the coming months, as Indigenous Peoples’ Day is celebrated in October. Other notable events that could impact headlines include Latino Heritage Month from September 15-October 15 and Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.

We’ll continue tracking the headlines to bring you the top stories!

About the Author

Ally Bautista is a Customer Content Specialist at PR Newswire. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, she enjoys baking, creating visual art, and keeping up with pop culture news in her free time.