Bill Rouselle, political and public relations strategist, dies
29th July 2024 · 0 Comments
By Fritz Esker
Contributing Writer
William “Bill” Rouselle, trailblazing journalist, political strategist and public relations expert, passed away on July 21 at the age of 77.
Rouselle grew up in Uptown New Orleans as the son of a public school teacher. In 1967, he graduated with honors from Xavier University of Louisiana. He received a publishing internship with Time Inc. in New York City. The following year, Rouselle became the first Black on-air reporter in New Orleans for WDSU. His first day in the studio for WDSU was April 4, 1968, the day Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.
In an April 2018 interview with Casey Ferrand of the “Talk Dat NOLA” Youtube channel, Rouselle spoke of this experience.
“Back then we didn’t have 24 hour news,” Rouselle said in his interview with “Talk Dat NOLA.” He heard news from the wire of demonstrations, outrage and riots from around the country. He overheard a police officer ask the news director to not report on what was happening elsewhere around the country.
“To see how news could be manipulated, to see how news could be suppressed…Information was being utilized in a way to make sure that there wasn’t reaction on the part of the African-American community here in New Orleans,” Rouselle said.
Rouselle left WDSU in 1969 following a controversial interview with protestors who were fighting the merger of SUNO into the LSU system. Rouselle would move on to work in City Hall for a year. During this time, he helped facilitate the passage of an ordinance opening the city’s restaurants and bars to all citizens.
After his stint at City Hall, Rouselle spent ten years with the Free Southern Theater. He helped organize a community-based effort to include more Black people in the media. In the mid-1970s, Rouselle also hosted the program “Nation Time” on WYES.
In the early 1980s, Rouselle worked for The Black Collegian magazine out of New Orleans. In 1984, Rouselle, and The Black Collegian colleague Kalamu ya Salaam, opened Bright Moments, a public relations firm.
Rouselle managed several political campaigns for people ranging from Dorothy Mae Taylor to Mary Landrieu to Ray Nagin to Mitch Landrieu to LaToya Cantrell. He also managed successful campaigns for public school and city millage elections. He also worked with Liberty Bank and Trust, one of the largest African American-owned financial institutions in the United States.
“Bill Rouselle has been a cornerstone of Liberty Bank’s foundation for over 40 years; his strategic vision was crucial in establishing Liberty as a committed community bank,” said Alden J. McDonald, CEO of Liberty Bank. “More than a colleague, Bill was a dear friend prior to our professional endeavors at Liberty and Bright Moments. Together, we nurtured our enterprises, growing them into forces for community empowerment. Bill’s legacy of leadership and friendship is permanently imprinted on our hearts and our mission. He will be dearly missed.”
In 2007, Rouselle received the Silver Medal, the New Orleans Ad Club’s highest honor. In 2021, he received the Public Relations Society’s lifetime achievement award.
In a 2012 interview with The Louisiana Weekly, Rouselle said legendary activist Oretha Castle Haley taught him a valuable lesson in the 1970s that informed his work.
“It wasn’t about you – it was about getting them (community members) to the point where they could lead themselves,” Rouselle told The Louisiana Weekly. “At the end of the day, it’s about organizing people to get things done.”
Those who spoke of Rouselle in the wake of his passing highlighted his selflessness. Fred Luter Jr. was the pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, where Rouselle had been a member for over fifteen years. He fondly remembered Rouselle’s generous nature.
“He was one of the few people I’ve known who had influence and power but never used it to his own advantage,” Luter said. “He always used it to try to help other people. He was a great man and he’s going to be missed.”
New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell released a statement praising Rouselle’s contributions to the community.
“He was a communications and community trailblazer who set standards and broke barriers for African Americans in the communications industry,” Cantrell said. “Bill lived a life of purpose, and his journey to strive for excellence opened the door for so many who would go on to make a difference in our city.”
New Orleans City Councilman Joe Giarrusso also issued a statement about Rouselle.
“If there was an important public relations or political campaign, Bill Rouselle was involved in it,” Giarrusso said. “His work reflected what he thought was important, how to organize and message, and then ultimately how to achieve that goal. He will be missed.”
Rouselle is survived by his wife, Ethel Davis Rouselle, six children and seven grandchildren.
This article originally published in the July 29, 2024 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
