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In July of 2021, Simone Biles shocked the world with her withdrawal from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics citing "mental health" as her rationale. Mental health remains a taboo subject within the realm of professional sports, and is often devalued, in stark contrast to the value placed on physical health. The present study explored Biles's framing of her withdrawal and publics' reactions to the withdrawal across two distinct social media platforms. Critical rhetorical analysis was used to analyze the Instagram posts made by Biles and a press conference transcript announcing and reifying her withdrawal, as well as 100 TikTok videos and 1000 comments illustrating publics' reactions. Findings demonstrate that Biles's framed her messages through genuineness, responsibility, resistance, and consistency. As a result of the frames used in the withdrawal messages, and the modality allowances afforded on TikTok (e.g., video, text, text and video, stitching), the space for dissent, as well as the ability to critique current power structures was created. From these findings, theoretically I argue that (1) framing theory can be used to create the space for resisting power, reclaiming agency, and challenging attacks of morality, and (2) theorize the ability of public relations to shape broader societal discourse. Practically, this research adds to the public relations literature (1) the value of new frames for image cultivation and the new role of publics for engaging in the acceptance, rejection, or co-creation of frames put forth by organizations and (2) the role of message modality for cultivating discourse and dissent. • Framing as a tool for resisting power and reclaiming agency. • Message modality access can influence dissensus discourse. • Social media allows publics to co-create frames with organizations. • Athlete communication shapes and is shaped by public relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community activism provides a useful lens for reexamining core concepts of public relations theory and history: community, temporality, and feminist values. This project foregrounds the work of two transformative community activists and prolific authors, Grace Lee Boggs and bell hooks—women whose decades-long efforts balanced urgency and sustained commitment to issues, as well as the people in the neighborhoods and physical communities they were a part of. While temporal concerns have found a place in crisis communication scholarship (e.g., Bean & Madden, 2019; Bean et al., 2015; Liu et al., 2017), they have yet to be presented as a central part of theories of activism in public relations. Adding their voices and perspectives to the broader story of public relations history helps to (1) center non-corporate histories as public relations, (2) showcase stories and strategies of women of color as effective advocates and transformative community leaders, and (3) present temporally informed theoretical development in activist public relations, including the creation of a new framework: ongoing community activism. • This project adds diversity and nuance to narratives about public relations history through centering the stories of two women activists (Grace Lee Boggs and bell hooks). • The findings augment theory through revised understandings of community building and ongoing activism that emphasize physical place and feminist values. • Community activism reflects temporal extremes: Immediate responses to imminent threats and decades-long sustained campaigns. • A framework of ongoing community activism for public relations is developed, emphasizing community building and feminist leadership values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]