The National Organization of Minority Architects and the American Institute of Architects' Large Firm Roundtable have issued the following statement and letter strengthening their partnership and their support of taking action to combat systemic racism in architecture.
To The Architectural Community:
Now more than ever, it is vital that we stand together to combat the insidious impact of racism in our profession. Not only does racism harm our Black colleagues, it compromises our collective ability to protect the healthy, safety and welfare of the public. The time for change is now.
In the letter [linked below] from the American Institute of Architect's Large Firm Roundtable (LFRT) to the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), there is language underscoring LFRT's commitment to supporting NOMA in addressing the negative impact of cultural and racial bias in the profession. We want to be clear that this is not hollow language or lip service, it is a true commitment to facilitate a stronger working relationship between LFRT firms and NOMA to transform our profession for the benefit of all.
LFRT and NOMA have been working together since 2017 and we believe that our partnership is well positioned in this watershed moment to build upon existing efforts to expand financial support, capacity building and mutual understanding. Founded in 1984, LFRT members represent the 60 largest architecture firms in North America. NOMA was founded in 1971 and includes the voices of more than 1,000 diverse professional and student members in more than 100 chapters.
With LFRT's support, NOMA was able to offer 25 student members paid internships this summer, through a five-year financial commitment for the new NOMA Foundation Fellowship program. This is the first initiative to launch since we agreed on the 2030 Diversity Challenge, which calls for us to grow the number of licensed Black architects from 2,300 to 5,000 by 2030, increasing representation from a mere 2% to roughly 4% Black licensed architects. While that still falls short of the 14% Black population in the U.S., it is a tremendous step forward. We are actively working on ways to break down barriers and build greater access to opportunity in our profession. We encourage each of you to consider large and small ways that you can be part of the solution to our shared problem of racial inequity in architecture.
Together, we can design a better future. The LFRT + NOMA partnership exemplifies what is possible when we collaborate to create positive change.
In Solidarity,Kimberly Dowdell, NOMA President & Carole Wedge, AIA LFRT Chair