Simone Pratt
Brooklyn, NY
I can talk about race all day… I work in multicultural advertising so it’s what I do, but outside of work as well… Some context on my 6 words: Race is something that puts us in boxes in our society (“talking Black”… “Acting White”… “Black music”… on and on), however race and our differences are so beautiful to me. I LOVE my culture. I grew up on Long Island, went to boarding school in Virginia, attended Hampton University (as my parents and step father and grandfather before me). Although my parents live in CT, I live in a brownstone in Brooklyn (Bed Stuy), I attend a large predominantly African American Baptist church, I am an active member of my sorority, married a man active in his fraternity, we have two small sons one who goes to our local Stuyvesant Heights Montessori (predominantly Black unlike the one I attended), I have been working for African American or multicultural ad agencies for over 10 years… I live in a VERY Black world and I love it. My husband has challenged me with the fact I have no close White friends (as he does – he is in banking and golfs and still plays lacrosse with his friends). It is not that I don’t like other cultures, in fact I do and make friends easily with other moms on playgrounds or wading in water with our kids at beaches… I just love love love my culture so much there isn’t much room for others. Does that makes sense?
I was at the Amistad Book Brunch. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing you read excerpts from your book and I started it already J I love reading about our history, our personal stories rivet me. My bookclub read “The Warmth of Other Suns” and loved it…
Simone Pratt
Planning & Strategy Director
