In the months since the police killing of George Floyd, protests and demonstrations across the United States and beyond have called for an end to racial injustice—and led to difficult, necessary conversations about the insidious ways that racism has unfairly shaped our world. Architecture and the built environment are essential to this reckoning. Just 2 percent of all registered practitioners in the U.S. are Black, a figure unchanged for decades.

In the following articles, RECORD interrogates the ways that racism is embedded in the profession—from the whiteness of our Eurocentric history and built environment to education, licensure, and practice. We examine how architectural offices are responding to this time by looking for ways to diversify their staffs, listening to the concerns of minority designers, creating clear pathways to advancement and leadership—and trying to make basic changes to firm culture. We also shine a spotlight on a cross section of Black architects, exploring their work and career paths, and amplifying their voices.

For all of us in the world of architecture who believe we need to make changes, the conversation is just beginning.

Articles

• Architecture Firms Begin to Grapple with Discrimination
• Three Architects Discuss Whiteness and Racism in the Built Environment
• Does the Long Road to Licensure Impede Diversity in the Profession?

Profiles

• Paving the Way: Moody Nolan
• Motor City Design Engine: Rainy Hamilton
• Flexible Sole Practitioner: Nina Cooke John
• Mover and Shaker: Steven Lewis
• Rise to the Top: Dina Griffin