A statement from AIA Maine on racial injustice
Dear AIA Maine Members and Friends,
AIA Maine joins the powerful voices in our profession condemning systematic racism. To our members, we want to be clear that this condemnation is only a first step in our organization’s work at addressing the disparities within our profession.
On May 31st in a Public Statement Regarding Racial Injustice , Kimberly Dowdell, the president of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), called on the architecture profession "to condemn racism and take an active role in eliminating the racial biases that account for a myriad of social, economic, and health disparities, and most importantly, result in the loss of human lives – Black lives."
Dowdell asks, "As architects, how can we protect the health, safety and welfare of the public if our country is not properly including Black Americans as full members of our society? Black Americans and other people of color have been subjected to injustice and inequality for far too long.”
We at AIA Maine agree with these statements. We must work harder at ensuring that both our profession and the built environment we help create are free of racial bias. AIA Maine represents a profession and a state that have both inadequately tackled issues of systematic racial injustice, and these realities will not be easy to remedy. We must look inward and establish a series of direct and potent actions that move beyond statements.
Our Board of Directors has committed to putting additional financial resources toward addressing the disparities within our profession. Our Board retreat next week will be focused on this conversation and recommending a series of actions beyond this increased financial support. Please feel free to reach out to us to add to our learning and our conversations with your thoughts and ideas. Let's all commit to designing a more just world for everyone.
Sincerely,
The AIA Maine Board of Directors
Additional Information/Resources.
National Organization of Minority Architects' full statement on racial injustice can be found here.
The AIA's full statement on systemic racial injustice can be found here.
Metropolis article, Dear White Architects, Be B.R.A.V.E, Not Sad. Love, NOMA
Expanded AIA Large Firm Roundtable and NOMA partnership announced.
AIA Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion initiatives
Bias Interrupters' Toolkit to Correct Implicit Bias In The Workplace