In this episode of “How’d You Do It and Why Should I Care?" Laila speaks with Marshea Pratt who is a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion leader. They discuss her experience in the DEI sector and why diversity is good for business.
In this episode of “How’d You Do It and Why Should I Care?" Laila speaks with Marshea Pratt who is a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion leader. They discuss her experience in the DEI sector and why diversity is good for business.
Hi, everyone. Welcome to the next episode of the Bay Street capital holdings podcast titled, How do you do it? And why should I care? This series aims to highlight women doing amazing work in various industries. So today, we are so lucky to be joined by marchais. Pratt, who's the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion leader. Hi, Marshea, lovely to have you on the show.
Marshea Pratt:Hello, thank you so much for having me.
Laila Arain:So let's dive straight into the questions. Let's start off with an introduction as to who you are, and perhaps the main answer to the question, which is, How'd You Do It & Why Should I Care?
Marshea Pratt:Oh, wow. Okay, so my name is Marshea Pratt, and I was born and raised in California, where I currently live. I work for a university, a private university, and I'm a diversity, equity and inclusion leader across all three of our campuses. And who am I am a mother, I am a podcast host of black and brave, I am a social justice advocate. And why should you care because diversity is good for business. And it's also good for our world. And the more that we can do to make each other feel a sense of welcome and belonging, the better our world and our lives are going to be.
Laila Arain:Excellent. So what inspired you to join the field of diversity, equity and inclusion was a specific experience that you had? Or was it a combination of experiences?
Marshea Pratt:Yes, so I have always cared about these types of issues, because they directly impacted me, you know, ever since probably third grade, I've experienced some kind of racial injustice, whether it was people using the N word against me, people putting pipe bombs in my home, mailbox in front of my home, because they didn't want black people to live in their neighborhood, those kinds of things. So I always had, what I would call like a righteous anger about these kinds of things. But I, when I was a child, I didn't know what I could do about it, I felt very helpless. And as I got older, I discovered that there were opportunities for me to speak up and to advocate for equality and for justice. And so when I got into college, I got involved in student clubs. And when I graduated, I wanted to pursue it as a profession. And so I started volunteering for local organizations for my alma mater, and their diversity, equity and inclusion work. And over time, I really just developed a love for it, even though the work is very hard. And it can be more hard work than hard work, because you're really examining your own biases, and at the same time that you're trying to bridge gaps between other people. So it can be very challenging, but it's very rewarding. Just bringing people together, debunking myths and stereotypes, I just love all of that. So that's what really drew me to it and keeps me going with it.
Laila Arain:Amazing. And as with much of diversity, equity and inclusion work, you're working with a lot of different groups of people. So I'm curious for those experiences that you hadn't been through. And, you know, you had to help people through what were the best resources or helped you along the way.
Marshea Pratt:I think the first thing that I did is I made sure that I was responsible for my own learning. I think a lot of times when we're curious about people that are different, we go to those people expecting them, to educate us and to teach us what we need to know when really the resources are out there for us to do our own exploration, which I think is more of an adventure and more fun to learn that way. So I spent a lot of time seeking out opportunities to learn about other people listening to podcasts, reading books, going to art shows, going to dramatic plays, and operas and things like that just absorbing as much of the culture as I could eating different foods at different restaurants, and things like that, just really learning as much as I could about other people listening to thought leaders in this area who are already doing the work that I dreamed of doing and following them on social media, just really exposing myself and getting involved in the culture, not just reading about it, but actually taking action joining committees getting engaged. And so one of the organizations that I joined right away was the national conference for race and ethnicity. It's called Incore. It's based in Oklahoma in the United States, and they have an annual conference every summer that is just phenomenal. And everybody that's anybody in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion world speaks at this conference, or does webinars related to the conference. So that's where I learned quite a bit of what I'm applying now. The second group that I joined is called belonging at work. And it's curated by a wonderful transgender man named Rhodes Perry. And he creates these 30 day challenges that you can take in different areas of dei in order to really expand your knowledge, as well as get to know other people that are at different spaces and places in the DEI journey. So not only was I able to learn more, but I was able to build a professional network and that has really helped me also
Laila Arain:amazing and it seems like you were pretty much a go getter. As you mentioned, you are responsible for your own learning, but were there any lessons that you wish you would have known before starting in this field?
Marshea Pratt:Yes, first of all, I thought If this was going to be a lot easier, then then it really is I thought, Oh, I'm just gonna take a few courses, it's just gonna be like a college class, you take a few core courses and you apply it. And what I didn't realize is that diversity, equity and inclusion is really a dynamic field. And it changes all the time, there's always new terminology, there's always new ways of looking at problems and ways to resolve them. So I had to be a lot more resourceful than I thought, and I there, you really never master this, this is something that's kind of ongoing learning. It's not like you take one test, and all of a sudden, you are a DI champion, and you know, everything. It's a constant, refreshing renewal of your mind, and also trying on new things that might make you uncomfortable at first. So it's really just embracing the fear that might come up when you're doing something new. I also didn't realize that I can learn so much from my mistakes and failures. I was thinking to myself originally, if I call someone by the wrong pronoun, or I use the wrong term, when I'm explaining a diversity, equity and inclusion principle that I will all of a sudden lose credibility, and no one will want to listen to me and that kind of thing. And I felt kind of a sense of shame and embarrassment, whenever I would make mistakes. And it was really other dei practitioners that said, you know, it just means you're human. You know, you're not expected to memorize all these things. You know, it really comes with practice. And you have to have a certain amount of grace for yourself and for other people, because these are hard concepts to understand. And you're sometimes unlearning a lot of things that people have touched you or said to you or expected you to uphold for years. So to do that kind of unlearning, it takes time. So the third thing that I learned is to be incredibly patient, with myself and with others, because these are sometimes for some people, these are very hard concepts for them to wrap their brain around and to start practicing.
Laila Arain:Definitely. And you mentioned is one of the two lessons, three lessons that you wish you would have known for starting in the industry that you can learn a lot from your failures. So I'm curious, what in your career was your biggest failure? And what did you learn from it?
Marshea Pratt:Oh, my goodness. So when I first got into this, I was very arrogant, I want to be very transparent, and say that I thought I knew everything. And I walked into a meeting to do a training and proceeded to give off that air of arrogance, as I was talking to people as if I was the only one that learned something that day, and they were going to learn it from me, versus going into it with a collaborative mindset thinking, I'm here not only to serve these folks and give them the education and information they're coming for, but also for me to learn from them and their responses and their feedback. And so I think it was quite embarrassing when I was pulled to the side midway through this training by a very good colleague who was very brave to come to me and say, you know, you really need to check your privilege. And I said, What do you mean? And she said, you know, you're coming in here acting like, you know, everything, when really we have things to teach you as well. So you really need to dial it back. And I took a deep breath, and I thought, Oh, my God, am I the person that I'm trying not to be like, what what am I doing? A teacher is also a learner, you're a student first, and then a teacher. So quickly, I changed I apologized to the group. And I started again, with concepts that I was teaching and gave them more space to speak. And for me to respond rather than me just lecturing the whole time, it was so much better. And I learned so much from that experience. So now when I go forward, and I talk to people about these concepts, it's more of a discussion and a conversation rather than a lecture.
Laila Arain:That's good. And what advice would you give to somebody who is wanting to pursue a career similar to yours?
Marshea Pratt:I would say don't be afraid for it. Don't let fear stop you work, work with fear, sit in it and work with it, because that's really going to propel you into the things that you're most curious about. So in my situation, I was thinking to myself, Okay, I didn't go to school for this. I don't have a degree so to speak, and diversity, equity and inclusion, I just have a passion for it. That's all I just have a heart and a passion for it. What can I do with that? And I thought, you know, let me seek out people who are doing the work that I really want to do and doing it with excellence. And let me reach out to them and let them know, hey, I want to make an impact like you're making what advice would you give me? What resources could you share? Would you mind if I did an informational interview with you, you know, those types of things? And not everyone said yes, but the majority did say yes. And that's how I was able to figure out who in this industry I can learn from what are the podcast and conferences and other things that I could get involved with to just get started with my learning and that's really where it begins. It's really about your passion areas are so much to do. This beyond race, gender and class, there are so many different aspects of this, that you could find your niche of what you're interested in, and then just pursue it. You don't necessarily have to go to school for it. But you do need to build a network of people that will hold you accountable, but also help uplift you because this work is really challenging.
Laila Arain:Definitely. And you also mentioned there's a lot of myths in this industry. So what is one common myth about your field that you would like to debunk right here right now?
Marshea Pratt:Yes, I would love to debunk the myth that only people from marginalized identities have any business involved in diversity, equity and inclusion work. And while you will see that the field is predominantly full of people who identify for marginalized identities, we need everyone at the table for this discussion, diversity, equity, and inclusion is everyone. Inclusion means everyone. So don't feel that just because you may come from a point of privilege that that can't be leveraged for diversity to flourish. Everybody plays a role at the table. We can't do this with just one group or two groups or three groups, we need everyone. So don't let your identities that you hold and the privilege that you may hold stop you from thinking that you have a place in this work, because we all have to do our part. Otherwise, it's not going to be successful.
Laila Arain:Definitely. And then more about you what have you read or listened to recently that's really inspired you.
Marshea Pratt:I am reading a phenomenal book called just as I am by the actress Cicely Tyson. She was in her 90s. And it takes you through her life from when she was a baby all the way through the early 90s. So it's nine decades of wisdom, and challenges, and just a lot of uplifting stories about how resilient she is and how much she learned from the different experiences that she went through that helped inform the way that she used her art in order to heal herself and to heal other people. It is a phenomenal book.
Laila Arain:Wonderful. And following on from that, who are three people in your life who have been the most influential to you?
Marshea Pratt:Oh, my goodness, I have to narrow it to three. Let me see. I would say my mother first and foremost, just a short story about her. When my mother was 13 years old, her dress caught on fire. And she was burned over 80% of her body. And she spent two years in a hospital in a Stryker bed. And for those that don't know what a Stryker bed is, it's a bed that you're strapped into, that kind of looks like a wheel that a mouse would run on. And you're strapped into it, and they rotate you every couple of degrees so that you have can maintain circulation in your body. So 26 surgeries later, they told my mom that she would never graduate from school that she would never be able to become a scientist that she would never have a child. And she told them no, I'm going to go to school. I'm going to be the valedictorian, I'm going to become a scientist, and I'm going to have a daughter, and she did all three. So my mother definitely is my number one inspiration. My second would be my daughter, who is one of the most caring and empathetic people you would ever meet. And she's absolutely fearless. She wants what she wants. And she wants it now. And she's incredibly driven. So I really am inspired by her. And then third, I would say it was a college professor who's no longer with us who talked me out of dropping out of school, I was doing very poorly in his class, because I didn't really understand how to write a college paper I thought I knew, but I consistently got bad grades in his class. And I went to his class, his office hours one day. And I said, you know, Dr. Hanson, I am coming to drop out of your class and actually dropped out of school because I just don't think I can do this. I thought I was a good writer. I wanted to be an English major, really badly. But this is my first English class, and I'm just failing miserably. So I don't want to waste your time. I don't want to waste my time, I'm just going to drop out. And he said, Absolutely not. He was I will not let you do that. And in fact, I am going to teach you what is missing in your papers so that you can be successful as a writer, you are incredibly talented. You are a diamond in the rough. All you need is a little bit of pressure in time and you're going to be phenomenal in my class. So no, you're not going to drop out of school and you're not going to drop out of this class. And I just was kind of looking at him like What do you mean, you can't tell me not to drop out like, You're not the boss of me, right? How dare you drop out? He said, No, you have too much potential. I'm not gonna let you drop. You're gonna work hard and you're going to do well. And sure enough, I went from being on academic probation to the Dean's List by the time I was done with college. So that particular professor really just taught me that you know, sometimes they do just takes one person to tell you that you can do this to believe in you and to motivate you to be the best that you're truly capable of you just sometimes you can't see it for yourself, someone has to show it to you.
Laila Arain:Amazing. And then finally, to wrap up our conversation, what is one piece of advice that you wish you gave yourself at any point in your life?
Marshea Pratt:Oh, I think the most important thing I wish I would have said to my much younger self was to remove toxic people, places and things from your life immediately. Don't waste time with people who are not willing to invest in you and care for you the way that you deserve.
Laila Arain:Yeah, no, I definitely agree. Life is too short to toxic relationships.
Marshea Pratt:Yes, yes. I think if I would have removed a couple of few people out of my life, I definitely wouldn't have gone through as many hardships as I did. So I've learned from that. And I've also learned something else that life is very short. And when you really love and care for people, you need to let them know. Don't assume that they know that you care definitely express it. There was someone really close in my life that was in my life one minute and two weeks later passed away. And fortunately for our relationship, I was able to share with that person that I cared for them deeply before they passed on. But what if I wouldn't have had that chance? You know, it just so happened that I was lucky, and I got a chance to say it. So don't let those opportunities pass by when someone is gracious to you. When someone loves you and cares about you, and really touches you in a powerful way. Let them know let them know immediately. Don't Don't let that moment pass by.
Laila Arain:Definitely. Well, once again, thank you so much, Marshea for taking the time to speak with me. I really appreciate your time.
Marshea Pratt:Absolutely. It was my pleasure.
Laila Arain:Alright then bye bye