Connecting multiple worlds

Professionally, I operate at the intersection of architecture, historic preservation, and sustainability. I'm involved in a number of professional organizations that are predominantly white and recognize that I am a de facto connector between multiple worlds. Over the last week, I have stepped more fully into giving my colleagues a safe zone to ask questions and discuss systemic racism within the design profession and various fields.

So much of our built environment, education system, and government are steeped in systemic racism it is difficult to pull on one thread without impacting another. In her piece titled Racism, Design and the Built Environment, Atianna J. Cordova, Founder of Water Block Global , highlights various impacts the systemic exclusion throughout the allied design professions have had on Black Americans.

"These impacts include racist housing practices that segregated neighborhoods and limited Black wealth-building opportunities; highways built by eminent domain through Black neighborhoods; the destruction of Black business districts, historic neighborhoods, epicenters, and cultural spaces; the militarization of police, mass incarceration and increased patrolling in Black neighborhoods; inequitable access to public transportation and fresh food in Black communities; polluted neighborhoods and environmental health risks; housing disparities accelerated by disasters; the displacement of Black people from their neighborhoods; and the list goes on." 

In addition to the links above, there are numerous resources, articles, and books available on systemic racism inside and outside the design profession.

Thinking specifically about the intersection of Race and Historic Preservation and recognizing that many people are entering this conversation at various levels I've been assembling various resources to provide more historic context to what's happening.

Race & Preservation Resources 

• JStor syllabus links on systemic racism.
• "Why do we save white monuments and let Black history rot?," by Starr Herr-Cardillo, Plan Philly
• "American Landmarks built by slaves" in Business Insider. 
• Systematic Racism of Preservation, from Twisted Preservation. 
• Brent Leggs: Seeing History, Seeing Potential. Brent Leggs reflects on the history and care around preserving and restoring African American historic places.
• "How Historic Preservation Can Drive Examination of Racial Inequality,"by Jackie Strawbridge, Next City. 
• "The Fight to Preserve African-American History," by Casey Cep, The New Yorker. 
• The National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers posted on the Tulsa Race Massacre (look for a post from June 1, 2020). 
• "Architects, Designers, and Planners: #BlackLivesMatter and You Must Speak Up!" by Michael Ford,  Azure
• Hip Hop Architecture: The Post Occupancy Report of Modernism | Mike Ford | TEDxMadison.

The current protests and calls to action ask us to acknowledge the past that has led us to this present moment and to alter course to create a better future for all. I recognize many of my white colleagues may be having uncomfortable realizations about the profession and America for the first time. To that, I say welcome to the conversation and hope you'll take Maya Angelou's guidance: "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better."