Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Karen (Dr. K) Baptiste. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Karen (Dr. K), looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
My organization, Pre-school to Prison, LLC, started out as a documentary project that grew into a consultancy because of my mission to dismantle the school to prison pipeline. Dismantling the pipeline became personal for me when my brother went from school to prison. While he takes accountability for his actions and served his time, the school system has been overlooked for their role in helping shape his pathway from school to prison. I later realized that his story was more common than I knew. I worked for the same system that pushed him out of school. Visiting my brother in the different jails and prisons he was shuffled through was emotionally taxing. Seeing him shackled and housed with people who committed serious and even heinous crimes became unbearable most days for me and my parents. When I looked around the visiting room, I started to notice an overwhelming amount of adolescent males incarcerated. I would start to ask them what they wish they would have done differently in life, and the majority of them would echo the same response about staying in school. But they would quickly follow that up with not feeling a sense of belonging in school so dropping out became easy because nobody in the school would even check for them. The pain I felt flowing through my body left me wondering what can I do to help other children and families not experience the prison system the way my family experienced it. It was through my prayers and patience that I got the vision to do a documentary where I humanized the participants and allowed them to share their stories about incarceration as a youth.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I’m the CEO, Founder and Film Director of Pre-school to Prison. I’m West Indian (from Grenada) and grew up in the boogie down Bronx. I always had and still have a passion for entertainment, media and storytelling. Having been a special education teacher in the South Bronx in one of the most impoverished areas in NYC, I became a warrior, not just for my students, but against the system. I had no choice but to develop the fervor to confront the status quo and challenge any type of injustice that I either experienced or witnessed of others because my students’ lives were at risk, my community was and still is at risk. I, as a Black woman, is still at risk for discrimination, unjust incarceration, and even death by racism.
At Pre-school to Prison, LLC, we provide consulting services to school districts, corporations, and non-profits to successfully restructure their goals and practices centered around Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEI&B) and anti-racist practices. Despite the movement in 2020 by companies that pledged their commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, more than 75% of companies still have no Diversity goals. We help our clients to be brave in their DEI stance and elevate unheard and underrepresented voices in their company.
Our services include:
Program design centered around career coaching that supports BIPOC talent to acquire employment readiness skills that place them in jobs paying above the poverty wage level
Equity audits and trainings in Change Management that is centered on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEI&B) and anti-racist practices in Human Resources
Executive Coaching for executive teams, cabinet and board members around positive workplace culture building, inclusionary practices, mindset coaching and strategic planning. I also provide keynote speaking engagements
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I am unapologetic about who I am and what my purpose is here on earth. I wasn’t always like that because I lacked the confidence to walk in my truth. The more I learned my history and learned to love myself, I’ve felt emboldened to empower others to walk in their truth and know their purpose. When a client hires me, that means they are ready to take that transformational journey because I give them honest feedback, even when it’s not what they want to hear. I’m a tough coach that will push you to different levels that you didn’t even know was possible. Seeing people win is important to me because many people are not happy or don’t feel successful. I’ve witnessed life changing results with some of my clients when they experience success that I supported them with. One win sometimes can change the trajectory of someone’s life.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
There are several books that have significantly impacted my leadership and entrepreneurial spirit. I used to manage people but now I lead people. The three that readily come to mind are: “The Untethered Soul”, “Becoming Supernatural” and “Dare to Lead”
The message that is strung through these books is knowing who you are, how to be bold, courageous, and lead with confidence so you can live a free and fulfilling life. There’s so much depression, unhappiness and hatred in the world, so I think about how I can give people hope. How I can help people know that there is a way out of that spiral. How I can help people live a life where they become empowered, live a life filled with love that pours out to others, and a life of free agency to live in accordance to what their life’s purpose is.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.preschool2prison.com
- Instagram: @p2pdoc
- Linkedin: dr-k-karen-baptiste-b64b5789
- Twitter: @KBaptiste_