Inez Kaiser
Inez Kaiser was born in a time where race kept her from fulfilling her need for higher education. Held back due to racial exclusion, Kaiser found solace in Pittsburg State University and studied education. Determined to expand her knowledge, she later earned a master’s degree from Columbia University and an honorary doctorate from Lincoln University. Kaiser led a
twenty-year teaching career in home economics while simultaneously publishing her column “Fashion-Wise and Otherwise” in black-owned newspapers spanning the United States. After an editor suggested she venture into unknown territory, Public Relations, Inez quickly took a liking
to the field and a few years later, birthed Inez Kaiser & Associates, the first African American female-owned public relations firm in the United States and the first black-owned business in Kansas City, Missouri. The firm found great success acquiring big-name clients such as 7Up, Sterling Drugs, and Sears. What seemed to be a risky career change led Inez down an exciting
and adventurous path. In her lifetime Kaiser became the first African- American woman to join the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, the first black women to join the Public Relations Society of America, a National Minority Advocate of the Year (1997), and a trusted
political advisor for minority women and business during the Nixon and Ford’s Presidential era. Laid to rest in 2016, at the age of 98, Inez Kaiser spent her life dismantling gender and racial barriers, cementing herself in history as an entrepreneur and civic leader.
Nepherterra Best
After working on a government affairs team and landing large accounts only to watch her supervisors land the check, Nepherterra wanted to reap the rewards of her hard work and build a name for herself. Award-winning PR professional and serial entrepreneur Nepherterra Best draws strength from her predecessors in her passion project, Dope Boss Mom Blog, and three successful businesses Pride Public Relations, Mosaic Communications, and NewsReleaseNow. Serving as the Chief Communications Officer and Co-Founder of Pride Public Relations, she and her partner have built the company into an award-winning African American women-owned PR
firm in Charlotte, North Carolina. Best’s primary goal is to expand her current companies to their fullest potential; it’s possible she’ll follow in Kaiser’s steps, one day returning to her political roots advocating on behalf of minority women and businesses. Although Best may seem settled
in her career path, this is just the beginning of her legacy. Leaders such as Inez Kaiser paved the way for black female entrepreneurs in 2021. Today’s entrepreneurs such as Nepherterra Best are continuing to make strides in the business community to make it more inclusive and welcoming towards black women. These two women and thousands of others like them are people who used their “limitations” to their advantage and battled against racism and sexism to create their unique paths and forever fasten themselves in history.