Parfait Bassalé is on a mission to help cultivate a sense of belonging within communities of all sizes, from individual interactions, to large organizations. Over the years, Bassalé says he has worn many hats, both through his work to foster inclusive principles, and as a musician. And along the way, Bassalé has used these skill sets to nurture communication, understanding and ultimately, strategies to bring people closer together within their community.
After working for five years at South Puget Sound Community College, including in the role of Chief Diversity Officer, Bassalé has now branched out into his own consulting business, working with a wider swath of businesses and organizations in the community to cultivate these principles of belonging. As a belonging strategist, Bassalé helps organizational leadership and employees to find opportunities that foster a healthy workplace.
Parfait Bassalé Belonging Strategist
For almost two decades, Bassalé has served in a variety of roles that allowed him to build environments that value inclusivity. Over time, Bassalé has been regularly invited to help facilitate events around belonging, forming connections with various business, nonprofits and other community partners. Bassalé says there has been an increased demand for more formal diversity, equity and inclusion work within organizations and Bassalé felt ready to take on that consulting work in a full-time capacity.
“We are living in a moment right now, where there’s just a thirst I believe, from across the community, in various sectors, to wanting to really create and foster experiences of belonging for folks in the workplace,” says Bassalé. “For folks as they engage and experience our services across industries. And I just felt like I wanted to impact a broader scope of people and industries.”
Bassalé says that although industries may differ in their scope, or the type of work they do, there are many core principles to inclusivity and belonging that can be applied across sectors. In addition to his extensive experience with diversity, equity and inclusion principles throughout his career, Bassalé also draws from his personal experience and story, as he partners with organizational leadership and employees across the region.
“My own journey as an immigrant has been one of trying to try to figure out where I fit and experiencing what it feels like to not fit in,” explains Bassalé. “And so, I’ve for a long time been pondering and researching those topics and deepening my understanding around what it takes and how it feels like to not belong. And so, I have always been able to bring that as a value to the spaces that I have been both professionally and also, personally.”
Within a particular organization, Bassalé’s work may vary from strategic planning, to facilitating workshops around belonging, and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) principles. Through strategic planning, Bassalé works with organizational leadership to develop DEI initiatives that have tangible milestones. Working with organizational leadership, management and frontline employees, Bassalé has also helped to plan and facilitate workshops and skillbuilding that help promote inclusivity and belonging. Bassalé says he can also help an organization in a more emergent situation, if a particular team or group of employees needs support or strategies related to problem solving.
“Oftentimes I just sit with any prospective client and just understand where they’re at, what they’re trying to achieve, what the challenges have been, what’s been tried before,” says Bassalé. “And then we craft a game plan that will work for their specific needs.”
Using Music and Storytelling To Help Build Bridges in the Community
As a complement to his consulting work, Bassalé is also a longtime singer and songwriter. First interested in music in elementary school, Bassalé has found inspiration along the way that spans across the world and across decades. This includes music from the hip hop movement of the 1990s and sounds that Bassalé has heard through his travels, including from West Africa. Bassalé says he has also found inspiration in reggae music, and the artist Bob Marley.
“The exploration of man to man in terms of human relations dynamics, was something I’ve always been fascinated about,” says Bassalé. “And how to really try to talk about it, challenge it, explain it. And so that’s how my music took a turn towards really storytelling and socially engaged and action oriented. And ever since, the rest is history, essentially.”
During live performances, Bassalé lets storytelling take center stage. Bassalé says his songwriting can stem from real life experiences, but can also be written about overarching concepts, depending on the song’s theme. As a musician, Bassalé can also utilize elements of music and storytelling in his consulting work, to help build bridges and provide an example of how it is possible to have different experiences and skill sets that make up one’s identity.
“It allows me to be more holistic, more complete as an individual to be rejuvenated, grounded as I do the work,” says Bassalé. “And so performing songs, performing music within the context of doing consulting work, but also outside of it, where I try to have events in the community where I can play songs that I’ve written. As an artist, you always write about things that just go through your mind or have it happen in your life. Your piece of insight and lessons learned and try to package that into songs and share it and gift it with whoever would like to hear it.”
To learn more about Bassalé’s consulting work, his work as a musician or upcoming musical performances, visit the Parfait Bassalé website.
