In 2020, the nation was hit with a pandemic both physically and socially. Due to COVID-19, media interaction, social media engagement, and online consumerism became necessary. In relation to widespread disease, social outbreaks concerning the black lives matter movement, police brutality, the presidential election and diversity & inclusion, set a call to action for Americans. Top fashion and shoe-manufacturing companies that engage with the public socially, financially, personally and for entertainment were evaluated on their contributions to Diversity and Inclusion initiatives. Through external marketing and communication strategies, shoe-wear companies display their approaches to social justice, equity and/or social responsibility. Inclusion & Diversity has different facets including, socioeconomics, gender roles, and race that contribute to how<br/>consumers interact with companies. This paper consists of a literary review, three company audits and analysis, and recommendations. The literary review in the introduction of my paper, explores the approaches to Diversity and Inclusion of shoe-wear companies as a response to social inequity. I conducted three audits to assess the history of Diversity and Inclusion at Nike, Adidas and PUMA to their approaches and commitment to Inclusion and Diversity through their marketing and communication strategies. I then conducted a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis based on the marketing and communications of the<br/>respective companies to gain depth in my findings of sentiment, message strategy, corporate hierarchy, and suggestions for future communications. My analysis provided a conclusion that Diversity and Inclusion in marketing and communication strategies is an essential factor in the growth and success of the company. I identified that each company has areas of opportunity to create more visibility for the LGBTQIA+ ( Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual and nonbiary people) community, should continue to produce reports that analyze exactly how they plan to support Diversity and Inclusion and continue displaying their<br/>commitment on social media.

Identity at Play is a creative project inquiry founded in communications theory which delves into how individuals construct their identities and understanding of the world around them, specifically through engagement with Tabletop Roleplay Games. TTRPGs, as they are colloquially known, have a variety of attributes that hold a unique capacity for fostering safe identity exploration and development of the self. These attributes– both in gameplay mechanics and communities they foster– allow individuals to feel secure and safe to explore hidden parts of themselves and experiment in new perspectives. Explicitly, the project culminates in six narrated episodes of actual play content and six paired talkback sessions to debrief, creating an immersive and engaging storytelling experience for the audience that exemplifies the inquiry at hand. Over the course of the podcasting series, six participants– five players and one gamemaster– engage with the traditional TTRPG experience and grow together in their understanding of various communications theories.