Equity at the Pratt goes beyond datasets and into the community

This 2023 nominee for the Technical.ly Awards’ Tech Community Leader of the Year category is dedicated to advancing equity.

According to its website, Enoch Pratt Free Library prioritizes inclusive community engagement and service delivery to align this commitment to equity.

The library system pursues that commitment through a range of initiatives in Baltimore City. M’Balu “Lu” Bangura, Pratt’s director of equity and fair practices, shared insights into her daily focus on developing and implementing such projects, including the recently launched Advancing Equity Dashboard.

Check out the Pratt Advancing Equity Dashboard

“The cornerstone of equity is transparency, and the best way to show your movement in advancing equity is through a public-facing dashboard,” said Bangura, who started at the library system in 2021 and said the dashboard was in the making for two years.

Bangura said that the dashboard’s launch was achieved with the support of OrangeBoy, an Ohio-based customer lifecycle management company that had an existing relationship with the library for its more internal dashboards. The dashboard is built on OrangeBoy’s software as a service (SaaS) platform, Savannah.

“What we initially realized [was] libraries do not traditionally convey demographic data, so we don’t have any demographic data of our constituents,” said Bangura. “But what we do have is an EEO-4 report.”

Since the library’s workforce size exceeds 100 employees, the Pratt is obligated to submit reports every two years, including its demographic workforce data to the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Commission. The data includes information on race, ethnicity, gender, job categories and salaries.

“We know [the data is] very limited because that information is based on the information that [we] obtained from people when they [were] hired,” said Bangura.” “But it is better than nothing.”

Bangura said that beyond workforce composition data, the dashboard also provides baseline information regarding strategic partnerships, digital equity, community engagement, programs and outreach.

According to Bangura, the dashboard reveals neighborhood-specific details that aid in the effective customization of programs. Since its launch, there have been positive changes, including an uptick in women and people of color in leadership roles. Darcell Graham, a Black woman and the Pratt’s former vice president of public services, was recently made the library system’s interim CEO.

A scene from a Pratt Library food distribution event. (Courtesy Pratt Library/Alanah Nichole Davis/Made using Canva)

It’s bigger than data

Beyond the launch of its equity dashboard, the Pratt has several social justice initiatives, the latest two of which are an apprenticeship program and a 100% free grocery store set to open in the spring.

“We talk about social justice: Social justice is trying to break the barriers that systemic and institutional inequities have caused. And so, food insecurity will be one of them,” said Bangura, mentioning that the Pratt distributed about 30,000 pounds of food last Thanksgiving.

The Pratt currently operates three community fridges at its Orleans Street, Brooklyn and Pennsylvania Avenue branches. Anticipation is growing for the upcoming Pratt Free Market in Baltimore, evident from a single post on a nonprofit leader’s Facebook page that already nabbed over 300 shares.

Bangura also mentioned Project ENCORE, a six-month development program for women transitioning from incarceration to Pratt staff positions

“ENCORE stands for ‘encouraging new community opportunities through reentry and empowerment,’” said Bangura.