June 30 Social Justice Action Plan Session Recap

The recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and Rayshard Brooks have forced many of us to recognize the need to acknowledge, understand, and address the depth of systemic racism that permeates all levels of our society, including the profession of architecture and the role of architects in the built environment.  In response to that need, AIA Oregon conducted an event on 6/5 titled the Social Justice Listening Session, where participants were invited to express their feelings about the long standing social injustices, identify what leaders in our profession and firms need to understand to make creating environments that are more welcoming and supportive for everyone, and brainstorm what we can all do together to improve our communities, both by participating in the conversation and/or contributing to the Mural board created for this discussion.  We had a follow up session on Tuesday, 6/30.

AIA Oregon 2020 President Amy Vohs began with a recap of the 6/5 session, showing how the information from the original Mural Board from that session had been organized and put in a new Action Plan Mural Board, and giving an overview of the plan components.  She reminded everyone that this is the second of a continuing series of sessions, and that this plan doesn’t have a fixed end date, but addresses a new way of operating.  The 6/5 Mural Board is no longer an active document, but an archived version can be accessed from the link above, and is available on the AIA Oregon website Social Justice Resources page.

 AIA Portland Section Director, Jen Wright gave an overview of plan implementation goals:

  • Encourage and support self-reflection and knowledge-dissemination to better understand the experiences of BIPOC peers.

  • Evaluate and improve the structure of AIA Oregon to implement improvements without haste.

  • Challenge and support those with influence, including firms, leaders, and the organization to make the necessary changes.

  • Format the Action Plan with timelines and report progress.  We are committed to the long game, and expectations much be established accordingly. 

AIA Oregon Committee on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (CoEDI) Chair, Kelly Chanopas provided the approach to implementing the Action Plan, emphasizing that the implementation of the Plan is a Chapter-wide effort; we must consider it a collective responsibility and each committee will have a role.  The role and authority of the Steering Committee needs to be clearly defined, while our colleagues and community also need to be involved in the development and review of the Plan.  We will also need to search for consultant(s) to assist in this Plan.

AIA Oregon Executive Vice President, Curt Wilson provided an overview of in-progress tasks and activities, outlining what tasks had already been assigned to committees and AIA Staff, and the progress that had been made so far.

Action Plan Purpose
Implementation Goals

  • Current Activity:  Develop format for the Action Plan.

Continuing Education Training

EDI Lens for AIAO Programs

  • Current Activity:  Develop EDI topic framework for use in all programming.

EDI Toolkit

  • Current Activity:  Create list of equity trainers and consultants and distribute.  See AIA Oregon website Resources page.

  • Current Activity:  In selection process to select consultant to lead equity training and consulting for AIA Oregon board, committee leaders, and staff.

Equity in Design Training

  • Current Activity:  In discussion to develop curriculum on spatial justice planning principles, including Critical Race Theory in Design and Planning.

Advocacy

AIA Oregon Structure

  • Current Activity:  Create Housing Committee

Celebration of Architecture and Architects

Celebrate Design that Improves Communities

  • Through the Design Awards Task Force, evaluate jury selection practices that support a more inclusive design recognition program.

  • Through the Design Awards Task Force, evaluate the incorporation of categories that celebrate building community, and recognize individuals, firms, and clients.

The Organization – AIA Oregon

Resources

  • Completed Activity:  Create Social Justice Resources on the AIA Oregon website.

  • Current Activity:  Expand access to and understanding of Social Justice Resources through articles in the Thursdays@Three newsletter.  This includes highlighting equity trainers and consultants.

AIA Coordination

  • Current Activity:  Coordinate and align the AIA Oregon Social Justice Action Plan with similar efforts by AIA National and other AIA chapters. 

CoEDI Vice-Chair, Octavio Gutierrez, began a discussion on relationships that our members, including firms, have with community organizations, encouraging members to add their relationship to the Mural board, as well as add other community organizations they felt should be included in the list.

The session ended with a recap, a discussion on how members can get involved, and next steps in implementing the Plan. 

Participants in the session included their comments in the Action Plan Mural Board. You can view a .pdf version of this Mural Board HERE.  In addition to identifying established relationships and suggestions for new relationships, participants suggested:

  • Expand EDI principles to all AIA Oregon programs and events.

  • Identify barriers in  place that discourage participation by our BIPOC peers in AIA Oregon programs and events and actively work to remove barriers.

  • Distribute access to the presentation by Brian Lee, Design Justice, Power + Place, and try to schedule his participation at an AIA Oregon program.

Next steps include:

  1. Coordination with existing AIA Oregon committees to assign tasks.

  2. Evaluation of high impact tasks and assign responsibilities to individuals and/or groups.

  3. Schedule on-going series of review session to update the progress of the Action Plan.  The next session will occur at a soon to be determined date in mid-August and will focus on task assignments and anticipated timeframes.  Subsequent sessions will be schedule about monthly and will focus on each of the main categories of the Plan:

  • Access to the Profession

  • Relationship Building

  • Continuing Education Training

  • Advocacy

  • Celebration of Architects and Architecture

  • The Organization – AIA Oregon

Participations provided links to resources and video during the session.  The following is a list of the links.  Please note relevant information will be added to the AIA Oregon Resources pages.

Bryan C. Lee, Jr., Design Justice, Power + Place (you will need to register to view the recorded webinar)

Toward More Equitable Living Environments: African Americans, Architecture and Planning in the Time of COVID-19  a webinar discussing the role of architecture and urban planning in creating safe, healthy living environments

Minds Matter Portland a chapter of Minds Matter National

Design in Dialogue, #32 a video by Craig Wilkins, UO Arch Design for Spatial Justice Fellow.

 “The Stark Racial Inequity of Personal Finances in America “ New York Times Article