A Black Woman's Journey from Cotton Picking to College Professor: Lessons about Race, Class, and Gender in America

299 Pages·2018·9.903 MB·English

by  Menah Pratt-Clarke

107
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
A
1930s who picked cotton to help her family survive, to Dr. Mildred Pratt,

B
Professor Emerita of Social Work, who, by lifting as she climbed, influenced l
a
hundreds of students and empowered a community. c
k A Black Woman’s Journey
As a daughter, sister, wife, mother, and scholar-activist, Mildred lived W
her core beliefs: she felt that it was important to validate individual human o
m from Cotton Picking
dignity; she recognized the power of determination and discipline as
a
keys to success; and she had a commitment to empowering and serving n
’
others for the greater good of society. Such values not only characterized s
J to College Professor
the life that she led, they are exemplifi ed by the legacy she left. A Black o
u
Woman’s Journey from Cotton Picking to College Professor reflects those r
n
core values. It celebrates ordinary lives and individuals; it demonstrates the e
y
value of hard work; and it illustrates the motto of the National Association PRfr
of Colored Women, “lifting as we climb.” Ao
m
T
A Black Woman’s Journey from Cotton Picking to College Professor can T LESSONS ABOUT RACE, CLASS, AND GENDER IN AMERICA
C
-
be used for courses in history, ethnic studies, African-American studies, Co
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English, literature, sociology, social work, and women’s studies. It will be of Ato
Rn
interest to sociologists, anthropologists, historians, political economists,
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philosophers, social justice advocates, humanists, humanitarians, faith- EPi
c
based activists, and philanthropists. k
i
n
g

t
o
Menah Pratt-Clarke is Vice President for Strategic Aff airs, Vice Provost for C
Inclusion and Diversity, and Professor of Education at Virginia Tech. She has o
l
l
a law degree and PhD from Vanderbilt University. Her prior works include e
g
Critical Race Feminism and Education: A Social Justice Model, Journeys of e

P
Social Justice: Women of Color Presidents in the Academy, and Reflections r
o
about Race, Gender, and Culture in Cuba. f
e
s
s
o
r
www.peterlang.com
P
E
T
E
R
LA Menah Pratt-Clarke
N
G
107
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
A
1930s who picked cotton to help her family survive, to Dr. Mildred Pratt,

B
Professor Emerita of Social Work, who, by lifting as she climbed, influenced l
a
hundreds of students and empowered a community. c
k A Black Woman’s Journey
As a daughter, sister, wife, mother, and scholar-activist, Mildred lived W
her core beliefs: she felt that it was important to validate individual human o
m from Cotton Picking
dignity; she recognized the power of determination and discipline as
a
keys to success; and she had a commitment to empowering and serving n
’
others for the greater good of society. Such values not only characterized s
J to College Professor
the life that she led, they are exemplifi ed by the legacy she left. A Black o
u
Woman’s Journey from Cotton Picking to College Professor reflects those r
n
core values. It celebrates ordinary lives and individuals; it demonstrates the e
y
value of hard work; and it illustrates the motto of the National Association PRfr
of Colored Women, “lifting as we climb.” Ao
m
T
A Black Woman’s Journey from Cotton Picking to College Professor can T LESSONS ABOUT RACE, CLASS, AND GENDER IN AMERICA
C
-
be used for courses in history, ethnic studies, African-American studies, Co
Lt
English, literature, sociology, social work, and women’s studies. It will be of Ato
Rn
interest to sociologists, anthropologists, historians, political economists,
K
philosophers, social justice advocates, humanists, humanitarians, faith- EPi
c
based activists, and philanthropists. k
i
n
g

t
o
Menah Pratt-Clarke is Vice President for Strategic Aff airs, Vice Provost for C
Inclusion and Diversity, and Professor of Education at Virginia Tech. She has o
l
l
a law degree and PhD from Vanderbilt University. Her prior works include e
g
Critical Race Feminism and Education: A Social Justice Model, Journeys of e

P
Social Justice: Women of Color Presidents in the Academy, and Reflections r
o
about Race, Gender, and Culture in Cuba. f
e
s
s
o
r
www.peterlang.com
P
E
T
E
R
LA Menah Pratt-Clarke
N
G
ADVANCE PRAISE FOR
A Black Woman’s Journey
from Cotton Picking to College Professor

“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 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

“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

A Black Woman’s Journey
from Cotton Picking
to College Professor
Rochelle Brock and Cynthia Dillard

Executive Editors

Vol. 107

The Black Studies and Critical Thinking series
is part of the Peter Lang Education list.
Every volume is peer reviewed and meets
the highest quality standards for content and production.

PETER LANG
New York  Bern  Berlin
Brussels  Vienna  Oxford  Warsaw
Menah Pratt-Clarke

A Black Woman’s Journey
from Cotton Picking
to College Professor

Lessons about Race, Class,
and Gender in America

PETER LANG
New York  Bern  Berlin
Brussels  Vienna  Oxford  Warsaw
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Pratt-Clarke, Menah A. E., author.
Title: A black woman’s journey from cotton picking to college professor:
lessons about race, class, and gender in America / Menah Pratt-Clarke.
Description: New York: Peter Lang, 2018.
Series: Black studies and critical thinking; Volume 107 | ISSN 1947-5985
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017036940 | ISBN 978-1-4331-4973-3 (hardback: alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-4331-4974-0 (pbk.: alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-4331-4970-2 (ebook pdf) | ISBN 978-1-4331-4971-9 (epub)
ISBN 978-1-4331-4972-6 (mobi)
Subjects: LCSH: Pratt, Mildred, 1928–2012. | African Americans—Social
Conditions—20th century. | African American sociologists—Biography. |
African American women college teachers—Biography. | Race
Discrimination—United States—History—20th century. | Race
Relations—United States—History—20th century. | Civil rights
Movements—United States—History—20th century. | African
Americans—Civil rights—History—20th century. | Sociologists—United
States—Biography. | Women college teachers—Biography.
Classification: LCC E185 .P73 | DDC 301.092 [B] —dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017036940
DOI 10.3726/b11827
Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the “Deutsche
Nationalbibliografie”; detailed bibliographic data are available
on the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de/.
© 2018 Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., New York
29 Broadway, 18th floor, New York, NY 10006
www.peterlang.com
All rights reserved.
Reprint or reproduction, even partially, in all forms such as microfilm,
xerography, microfiche, microcard, and offset strictly prohibited.
This book is dedicated to Dr. Mildred Pratt, my mother, who took time to write
and share her journey so that she could become the shoulders for others to stand
upon. Like Langston Hughes’ The Negro Mother, she “has come back today to tell
you a story of the long dark way that [she] had to climb, that [she] had to know in
order that the race might live and grow.” Like The Negro Mother, she encourages
us to “make of her past a road to the light.”