More than 400 design professionals expressed their "complete commitment to and support for the protection of Black lives and the advancement of Black livelihood" in a stark, full-page newspaper ad on October 25.
"Before we can confidently advocate for greater economic opportunities for architects of color, we need to ensure that those very people are first able to breathe," writes NOMA president Kimberly Dowdell.
The Chicago-based architect spoke with RECORD about how systemic disparities have exacerbated COVID-19's effect on communities of color—and how the pandemic’s economic repercussions might impact the next generation of designers.
The January 12 earthquake that struck Haiti has galvanized the architecture community to lend its support, but the disaster has particularly resonated among African-American practitioners, some of whom are of Haitian descent.
