Thunderous silence - actions over words

Editor’s note:

Thunderous silence - actions over words

It has been over a year since a police officer knelt on the neck of George Floyd for 9 minutes and 29 seconds resulting in his death. The murder of George Floyd sparked international protests. Tears were shed, calls for action were made, listening sessions and personal conversations were had, and resources for learning were shared. There’s no doubt this was a turning point for our nation and an impact was made.

Legendary civil rights leader Whitney M. Young Jr. sharply criticized architects and design professionals during his keynote speech at the 1968 AIA National Convention he stated, “You are not a profession that has distinguished itself by your social and civic contributions to the cause of civil rights . . . You are most distinguished by your thunderous silence.” Over 50 years later the explosive traction from the Black Lives Matter movement had many asking how much progress we have made. Has the pendulum swung in 50 years? Many would argue we have made progress. However, I wonder if Young was not only referring to the verbal silence, but the silence of little to no action or accountability to follow. While I believe we have moved from passivity to activity, it would be disingenuous to not acknowledge that change can be quite slow.

In this quarter’s issue, you will see how young architects, design professionals, and students take on the challenges of J.E.D.I. in the industry. Our authors explore issues like creating a more just system for financing community visions and providing visibility for marginalized and diverse voices. You will see how women are trailblazing the narrative of inclusivity and more. Each of these perspectives plays a critical role in creating a more equitable future

It takes a village to truly push the needle in the right direction. We can all reflect on our actions in the last few years to evaluate the intentional impact we have made.

We can co-lead in-person design and mentoring programs for young BIPOC students, or host virtual design seminars to encourage students to pursue architecture or related design pathways. We can build bridges to connect programs and opportunities to BIPOC and women students interested in pursuing design professions. We can share impactful stories with approachable action plans in webinars for professionals and students. I was fortunate enough to participate in all, but I must admit I often wrestle with understanding that not all impact can be immediately quantified or measured. It is a gentle reminder to continuously take incremental steps to design the industry we all want to work, lead, and thrive in.

Editorial committee call

Q4 2021: Call for submissions on the topic of practice innovation. Connection’s editorial comittee welcomes the submission of articles, projects, photography, and other design content. Submitted content is subject to editorial review and selected for publication in e-magazine format based on relevance to the theme of a particular issue.

2021 Editorial Committee: Call for volunteers, contributing writers, interviewers and design critics. Connection’s editorial comittee is currently seeking architects interested in building their writing portfolio by working with our editorial team to pursue targeted article topics and interviews that will be shared amongst Connection’s largely circulated e-magazine format. Responsibilities include contributing one or more articles per publication cycles (3–4 per year).

If you are interested in building your resume and contributing to Connection please contact the editor in chief at: aia.beresford.pratt@gmail.com