The PRATT in the HAT is a short film about Frances Pratt, her hats, her prattisms, and her civil rights leadership which began in 1957 and continues till today as the President of the Nyack, NY Branch of the NAACP.
The PRATT in the HAT is a celebration of Pratt’s unique wisdom which she gained through observation and perseverance as a woman of color.
Susan Hillary Shapiro was inspired to create this piece when she spotted Frances across a crowded political event. Pratt was adorned in one of her striking hats and to Susan, she seemed a beacon of color in a sea of grey. “I asked her if she would allow me to photograph her in her hats,” Susan explains. “She agreed and I found what lay beneath her large-brimmed bonnets was a woman whose personal insight and firsthand knowledge into racial equality is one that is relevant, now more than ever.” If Frances Pratt’s hats make a bold statement so too does Pratt’s southern charm and pithy expressions which she garnered through a lifetime of service to her community.