Dr. Menah Pratt-Clarke in blue jacket
Menah Pratt-Clarke always knew she wanted to live an extraordinary life. Her declaration to her parents that she was the “Queen of Sheba” was not merely the whimsical musings of a self-assured toddler; it was a decisive declaration of a future she was determined to shape, even if she did not realize it at the time. This resolve is vividly captured in her book, Blackwildgirl, a tribute to Black womanhood and a literary counter to the systemic challenges that often silence Black women.
Blackwildgirl is Pratt’s thoughtful examination of systemic oppression and its impact on Black women. Drawing on her personal and professional life, the book explores the complexities of race, gender, and empowerment. Pratt uses her experiences as a lens to discuss these themes, inviting Black women to reconnect with their histories and reclaim their power. She argues that Black women are uniquely positioned to redefine narratives about their lives and agency and should not be boxed in as a monolith like society often does.
Born in Normal, Illinois, Pratt’s unique upbringing shaped her view of the world, and even more so, her approach to her identity. Theodore, her father, was an immigrant from Sierra Leone in West Africa who left his home country to find a better future in the United States. He later met and married Mildred, Pratt's mother, a professor of social work whose roots traced back to Alabama, where her grandmother had endured the brutal legacy of enslavement. United not just in matrimony but in their profound respect for education, both Theodore and Mildred achieved doctoral degrees but also had to face the challenges of being Black in academia and the downsides of racism and classism.
In her book, Pratt not only uses her life as a canvas to explore broader themes of race, gender, and empowerment but also invites women who look like her to dig into the depths of their collective memories to take back their power. Her book embodies the essence of what it means for Black women not merely to aspire to change the narrative but to rewrite it entirely, after all, there is no one more qualified to write about agency than her. After curating her experiences for over 40 years, Pratt believed that it was time to share her experiences with the world.
“Blackwildgirl is based on 45 years of journals that I’ve written since I was a young girl, sharing the story of my experiences going from Black girlhood to Black womanhood and the lessons that I learned,” Pratt said. “At some point, I looked at all the journals and thought there was some wisdom that I probably should share with others.”
As a child of immigrant parents who were in academia, several parts of Pratt’s background have inspired her book. Now a tenured faculty member herself, Pratt was determined to help other Black women heal through the legacy that her mother left behind for her.
“In writing this book, my goal was to honor my mother’s message and the idea that we need to be the backbone for those who come after us,” Pratt said. “I very much felt that in telling my story and my journey, I could be a backbone for other Black women and girls on their journey.”
For Pratt, the book is a part of her legacy and is something she created to empower other women.
“I wanted to use this book to help women find their voice and claim and own that which perhaps was silenced in a male-dominated patriarchal society,” Pratt said. “Even in this society, women can still have a voice and speak their minds.”
Now at Virginia Tech, where Menah is vice president for strategic affairs and diversity, she's focused on achieving her mission through her administrative role. Specifically, her work has helped integrate diversity into the ethos of the university’s mission.
This long-standing vision also inspired Pratt to found the Faculty Women of Color in the Academy National Conference, a 12-year-old conference for women of color in higher education to network, engage and learn from colleagues around the country.
“I started that conference with the specific goal of connecting, supporting, and empowering women of color, and higher education faculty, graduate students, administrators, and independent scholars to create a sort of a sacred space for women to come together to know that they can be successful in higher education,” Pratt said.
“Twelve years later, it’s truly inspiring to see how the conference has grown. Now, about 600 women gather in person, filling a hotel ballroom with an incredible energy that only a group of 600 women of color can bring. It's a powerful thing,” Pratt said. There's also a virtual component that took off during COVID. At that time, we had around 500 women connecting through Zoom, all coming together to support and empower one another. It's just remarkable.”
With several book tours booked out across the country, Pratt’s influence continues to expand with each stop bringing her into new communities and engaging with readers who are eager to dive deep into the themes of her work. With her book, Pratt aims to support Black women's healing, honoring her mother's legacy of resilience and grit while doing so.