To AIA Central Valley Members and Friends:
We are saddened by the senseless deaths of far too many Black lives in our nation’s recent history. Warranted peaceful protests reflect a breaking point in our society and have opened the eyes of our community and our Chapter to the urgency of the matter at hand. It is clear that this country’s legacy of racial injustice is still prevalent in our society and as leaders in our community, we must take action to dismantle institutionalized racial discrimination in our industry.
There are 109,748 licensed architects in the United States. Only 2% of these architects identify as Black or African American. According to the US Census, Black lives comprise 13.4% of the population. The disparity is clear.
As architects it is our responsibility to the members, friends and sponsors of the Chapter, and to the future of our profession to share our actions and intentions towards a more equitable practice. We stand behind AIA National Board’s statement on systemic racial injustice.
We recognize that the problems at hand reach further than our industry, and we are committed to making our profession part of the greater solution to racial injustice. Because actions speak louder than words, we call our members to join AIA Central Valley’s Commitment to Equity.
AIA CENTRAL VALLEY COMMITMENT TO EQUITY
EDI COMMITTEE – This year our Chapter formed a committee for Equity Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). We have seen that the task at hand is not easy and will require patience, compassion and commitment to learning by all. We will continue to expand representation and participation in the Chapter’s EDI Committee to add increased perspective and points of view in the conversation.
STRATEGIC PLAN – EDI is a priority in our 2020-2025 Strategic Plan. It includes steps towards education, awareness, and action. The plan incorporates equity, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of our Chapter and its leadership.
PROGRAMS – We are committed to programs such as CREATE and the Experience Route Intern Development Program that create alternative paths to overcome historic and institutionalized barriers to licensure in our profession.
ANNUAL REPORT – We will provide an annual report of our membership’s race and ethnicity headcount by 2021. This will serve as our metric for change as a result of our actions. We encourage our member firms to do the same.
EDI TRAINING – We will request 100% participation from our Board and Committee leaders at the EDI Basics Course on June 19th. We strongly encourage participation from all members and firm leaders.
TAKE PART
Take this moment to reflect and learn about how you can play a part in dismantling racial biases in our profession and in our community. Here are some ideas:
- ATTEND the June 19th EDI Basics ZOOM course FREE for members and students!
- EDUCATE yourself on the topic of systemic racism in architecture.
- Resources from the Architectural League of New York
- Resources from the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA)
- PARTICIPATE in upcoming AIA programming focused on issues of racial bias in our profession.
- JOIN our EDI committee! We will welcome you with open arms.
We hope this message compels you to learn and to join our equity efforts. We have faith in the inherent good of humanity, and we are confident that we can break down racial injustices in our industry. We are committed to moving forward together.
Sincerely,
AIA Central Valley Board of Directors
Gennifer Muñoz, Director, AIACV EDI Committee Chair
AIACV Committee for Equity Diversity + Inclusion