PUBLICATIONS
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Books Authored –
A Black Woman’s Journey from Cotton Picking to College Professor: Lessons about Race, Class, and Gender in America traces the journey and transformation of Mildred Sirls, a young Black girl in rural east Texas in the 1930s who picked cotton to help her family survive, to Dr. Mildred Pratt, Professor Emerita of Social Work, who, by lifting as she climbed, influenced hundreds of students and empowered a community. As a daughter, sister, wife, mother, and scholar-activist, Mildred lived her core beliefs: she felt that it was important to validate individual human dignity; she recognized the power of determination and discipline as keys to success; and she had a commitment to empowering and serving others for the greater good of society. Such values not only characterized the life that she led, they are exemplified by the legacy she left. A Black Woman’s Journey from Cotton Picking to College Professor reflects those core values. It celebrates ordinary lives and individuals; it demonstrates the value of hard work; and it illustrates the motto of the National Association of Colored Women, “lifting as we climb.”
“A BLACK WOMAN’S JOURNEY FROM COTTON PICKING TO COLLEGE PROFESSOR IS A WONDERFUL AND SPECIAL JOURNEY. I ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO EXPLORE THIS AMAZING LIFE STORY. I’M SURE THEY WILL ENJOY IT AS MUCH AS I DID.”―NIKKI GIOVANNI, UNIVERSITY DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH, VIRGINIA TECH
“THIS ENORMOUSLY IMPORTANT VOLUME DOCUMENTS THE FIRST GENERATION OF AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN PROFESSORS AT PREDOMINANTLY WHITE ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS IN THE WAKE OF THE MODERN CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. IT WILL MAKE A SPLENDID CONTRIBUTION TO WOMEN’S HISTORY, GENDER STUDIES, AND TO AFRICAN AMERICAN LIFE AND HISTORY. IT WILL INSPIRE AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN IN THE ACADEMY TO CHRONICLE THEIR OWN LIVES AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE INTELLECTUAL AND HISTORICAL RECORD.”―DARLENE CLARK HINE, PROFESSOR OF AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES AND PROFESSOR OF HISTORY, NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
“ALL GAIN FROM READING THIS BOOK ABOUT THE LIFE OF DR. MILDRED PRATT. THERE ARE FEW FIELDS OF SCHOLARLY INQUIRY OR GENERAL INTERESTS THAT ARE NOT AT LEAST TOUCHED UPON IN THESE PAGES. HERE IS, ULTIMATELY, AN IMPORTANT COMMENTARY ON RACE AND RIGHTS, CLASS AND STATUS, GENDER, AND JIM AND JANE CROW. THE WORLD WAS MADE BETTER BY DR. MILDRED PRATT HAVING BEEN A PART OF IT. OTHERS WILL BE LEFT BETTER FOR HAVING READ THIS STORY OF HER LIFE.”―STEPHANIE SHAW, PROFESSOR OF HISTORY, OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
“DR. MILDRED SIRLS PRATT’S STORY IS ONE OF THE GENESIS, RISE, AND REMARKABLE TRIUMPH OF AN EXTRAORDINARY INDIVIDUAL OVERCOMING HERCULEAN ODDS. HER REMARKABLE FEATS―DESPITE SUCCESSIVE SETBACKS―AS SHE NAVIGATED A CAREER AS A TENURE TRACK PROFESSOR WITHOUT A BLUEPRINT IS A STORY OF LEGEND. HER LIFE IS AN AMAZING JOURNEY FROM SHARECROPPING TO THE ACADEMY. HER MEMOIR IS AN INSIGHTFUL WINDOW INTO WHAT IT MEANS TO BE BLACK IN AMERICA, INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY.”―JAMES ANDERSON, DEAN, COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
“THIS BOOK IS AN EXCITING AND THOUGHT PROVOKING SET OF REFLECTIONS ON CUBA, STIMULATED BY A VISIT BY US HIGHER EDUCATION CHIEF DIVERSITY OFFICERS AND FACULTY. CRISP ANALYSES AND DEEPLY MOVING PERSONAL REFLECTIONS MAKE THIS A MUST-READ AND AN IMPORTANT ADDITION TO PERSONAL AND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES. A FIRST OF ITS KIND ON THE CURRENT STATE OF THE ISLAND OF CUBA, ITS COMPLEX RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UNITED STATES, AND WHAT WE MIGHT EXPECT IN THE COMING YEARS, AS US-CUBAN RELATIONS CONTINUE TO SHIFT.”―BENJAMIN D. REESE, JR., VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF DIVERSITY OFFICER, DUKE UNIVERSITY/DUKE UNIVERSITY HEALTH SYSTEM
“THIS BOOK SUMMARIZES THE REFLECTIONS OF A GROUP OF UNIVERSITY CHIEF DIVERSITY OFFICERS AND OTHER EDUCATORS ON CURRENT ISSUES IN CUBA. ISSUES OF RACE, GENDER, CULTURAL IDENTITY, AND THE AFRICAN EXPERIENCE IN CUBA ARE EXPLORED AND DISCUSSED FROM A NUMBER OF INTERESTING PERSPECTIVES. GIVEN THE RAPIDLY CHANGING ECONOMIC, POLITICAL, AND SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND CUBA, THIS BOOK IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY COURSES ON INTERNATIONAL STUDIES, INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, POLITICAL SCIENCE AND SOCIOLOGY. FACULTY AND ADMINISTRATORS SEEKING TO DEVELOP EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS WITH CUBA, OR PARTNERSHIPS WITH CUBAN UNIVERSITIES OR ORGANIZATIONS, WILL FIND THIS BOOK TO BE A VALUABLE RESOURCE.”―JULIE FURST-BOWE, FORMER CHANCELLOR, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY–EDWARDSVILLE; VICE PRESIDENT OF INSTRUCTION, CHIPPEWA VALLEY TECHNICAL COLLEGE
MENAH PRATT-CLARKE’S STUDY REPRESENTS ONE OF THE MOST THOROUGH INTEGRATIONS OF THE LAW, FEMINISM, SOCIOLOGY AND AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES; HER APPROACH IS A ROADMAP FOR IMPLEMENTING MORE EQUITABLE EDUCATIONAL AND PUBLIC POLICY. LET’S HOPE THOSE WHO INSTITUTE SUCH POLICIES ARE SAVVY ENOUGH TO PICK UP THIS BOOK, READ IT, AND GO ABOUT THE URGENT BUSINESS OF RESHAPING AMERICA’S FUTURE.” – DENEAN SHARPLEY-WHITING, DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY, , USA, AND AUTHOR OF PIMPS UP, HO’S DOWN
“WE ARE EXPERIENCING A UNIQUE MOMENT. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AMERICA’S HISTORY, AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN AND GIRLS LIVE IN THE WHITE HOUSE AS THE FIRST FAMILY. IT IS CLEAR, THOUGH, THAT THEIR PLACE IS NO WATERSHED FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE SISTERS, AUNTS, MOTHERS, AND GRANDMOTHERS WHO LIVE THE EVERYDAY LIVES AND CIRCUMSTANCES OF AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE NATION. PRATT-CLARKE REMINDS US AND DEMANDS FROM US A CAREFUL SCRUTINY OF THE MEANING OF RACIAL-GENDER JUSTICE FOR BLACK GIRLS AND WOMEN. JUSTICE AND EQUAL ACCESS, AS SHE REVEALS, IS A RIGHT THAT HAS YET TO BE PROVIDED TO MOST BLACK GIRLS IN AMERICA. IN FACT, THE BARRIERS TO THESE FULL FREEDOMS ARE DEFINED BY ATTITUDES AND PRACTICES FROM BOTH WITHIN AND EXTERNAL TO AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES. HER WORK TAKES US A LONG WAY IN THE STRUGGLE TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW CULTURE, EDUCATIONAL POLICY, LAW, AND PRACTICE WORK TO MAINTAIN VARIED AND ENTANGLED OPPRESSIONS. IT TAKES US STILL FURTHER IN THINKING THROUGH HOW TO HOLISTICALLY CREATE A WORLD OF GREATER EQUITY FOR BLACK GIRLS AND WOMEN.” – JENNIFER F. HAMER, DEPARTMENT OF AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, USA; EDITOR OF BLACK WOMEN, GENDER AND FAMILIES
“IT IS NOW COMMON KNOWLEDGE THAT THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM HAS FAILED BLACK BOYS. PRATT-CLARKE’S IMPORTANT VOLUME DEMARGINALIZES THE PLIGHT OF BLACK GIRLS, WHO ARE SEVERELY THREATENED AS WELL. THE FUTURE, IF NOT THE VERY EXISTENCE, OF A VIBRANT AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY, WILL DEPEND ON STRONG WELL-EDUCATED CITIZENS, WHERE NEITHER BLACK MEN NOR BLACK WOMEN HAVE BEEN LEFT BEHIND. THIS BOOK, BASED UPON A SOCIAL JUSTICE APPROACH, IS A MUST-READ FOR POLICYMAKERS WHO NEED TO BE SUPPORTIVE AND DO THE RIGHT THING FOR BOTH GENDERS.” – ADRIEN K. WING, BESSIE DUTTON MURRAY PROFESSOR OF LAW, UNIVERSITY OF IOWA, USA , EDITOR OF THE LAW UNBOUND!: A RICHARD DELGADO READER; CRITICAL RACE FEMINISM: A READER; AND GLOBAL CRITICAL RACE FEMINISM: AN INTERNATIONAL READER
“MENAH A.E. PRATT-CLARKE SAYS THAT ONE OF HER REASONS FOR WRITING IS HER AWARENESS THAT THE STORIES OF BLACK GIRLS’ LIVES ARE STILL WAITING TO BE TOLD. WITH HER INSIGHTFUL NEW BOOK, CRITICAL RACE, FEMINISM, AND EDUCATION: A SOCIAL JUSTICE MODEL, PRATT-CLARKE SHOWS HERSELF TO BE AMETICULOUS SCHOLAR, A TIRELESS ADVOCATE, AND A PASSIONATE STORYTELLER WHO HAS OPENED A GREAT BIG WINDOW ON A WORLD THAT HAS BEEN INVISIBLE TO THOSE WHO DO NOT PERSONALLY INHABIT IT FOR FAR TOO LONG.” – PEARL CLEAGE, AUTHOR OF MAD AT MILES: A BLACKWOMAN’S GUIDE TO TRUTH AND WHAT LOOKS LIKE CRAZY ON AN ORDINARY DAY
Book Chapters
Journal Articles
Pratt, Menah. 2023. A Black Womanist Theomethaxis: Theory, Method, and Praxis for Revolutionary-Revelation Writing, Departures in Critical Qualitative Research (2023) 12 (3): 24–47. https://doi.org/10.1525/dcqr.2023.12.3.24
Pratt-Clarke, Menah, Andrea Baldwin, and Leticia Brown. (2020, October 27). Urban Teaching and Black Girls’ Pedagogies. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education. Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.1349
Pratt-Clarke, Menah. A Critical Race Feminist Autoethnography: A Narrative about the Academy, a Father, a Daughter, and a Search for Love. Journal of Colorism Studies. Vol. 3:1 (2018).
Pratt-Clarke, Menah. A Black Woman’s Search for the Transdisciplinary Applied Social Justice model: Encounters with Critical Race Feminism, Black Feminism, and Africana Studies. Journal of Pan African Studies. Vol. 5:1, 83-102 (2012).
Pratt-Clarke, Menah. A Radical Reconstruction of Resistance Strategies: Black Girls and Black Women Reclaiming Our Power Using Transdisciplinary Applied Social Justice©, Ma’at, and Rites of Passage. Journal of African American Studies: Special Edition on Black Women and Girls. First published online on May 17, 2012. DOI: 10.1007/s12111-012-9221-6.