A Moral Obligation

Black Lives Matter rally, Eugene, May 31, 2020 (photo by Melissa Nolledo)

I published last week’s blog post with some trepidation. I chose to not immediately address the senseless death of George Floyd, the ensuing outrage and pain, and why American society has allowed similar tragedies to occur so frequently and for so long. Instead, I reported on the most recent virtual meeting of the CSI-Willamette Valley Chapter. By doing so, I risked being labeled as “tone deaf” for ignoring the elephant in the room; however, I believed it was important to be as thoughtful as possible before weighing in.

 

Because I have this forum, the wrong thing to do is to say nothing. If I fail to acknowledge what is going on in the world, I am part of the problem. On the other hand, insincere virtue signaling is likewise problematic. Expressing outrage while doing nothing of substance is disingenuous.

 

I will keep my perspective in check because now is a time to listen and learn from the aggrieved and from those who seek justice for them. It’s certainly not about me, regardless of the fact I’m a member of a racial minority that can point to its own history of repression. The current, necessary, nationwide conversation about institutional, systemic racism is specific to the experience of African Americans. Distressingly, the shameful examples of abhorrent, state-sponsored violence directed toward them are far, far too numerous.

 

Since this is a nominally a blog about architecture and urban design, I am obliged to consider how everyday designers of the built environment can contribute toward righting the wrongs of the past and present. I don’t immediately know in what ways design can help crack entrenched and confounding societal problems. I do know many architects feel a moral obligation to help solve them.

 

Various organizations and spokespersons for the design professions have taken very public stances in response to the events of the past two weeks. The following are excerpts from some representative bodies (accompanied by links to the full statements):

The American Institute of Architects (https://www.aia.org/pages/6301167-aia-board-statement-on-systemic-racial-inj)

“AIA understands the disappointment of our past inaction and inadequate attention to the issue of systemic racial injustice. We were wrong not to address and work to correct the built world's role in perpetuating systemic racial injustice, including the use of slave and forced labor, designing housing that marginalized communities of color, helping to design communities that excluded people of color, and participating in municipal projects that destroyed or weakened thriving African American, Hispanic, and Native American communities.” 

 

AIA Oregon  (https://www.aiaoregon.org/newsfeed/2020/6/1/statement-from-aia-oregon-2020-president-amy-vohs-aia)

“As a predominately white profession, Oregon architects have a responsibility to use our privilege to push for lasting change. It is the mission of the AIA Oregon Committee on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (CoEDI) to better reflect the global & demographic richness of our population through advocacy for under-represented groups in our profession. We remain focused on educational and training opportunities for our members to openly discuss inequities within our profession, and to listen and learn from people who are working to change viewpoints on race, gender, and identity within architecture. We will announce these opportunities as they arise.”

 

AIA Minnesota (https://www.aia-mn.org/broken/)

“What comes next in the wake of all that has happened depends upon us shedding our cynicism and lifting up what we already know: that the best of the built environment, the best of any product, system, or community, has always been the result of deep collaboration; and that the more diverse, equitable and inclusive the collaboration, the more creative and lasting the solutions. Instead of architects assuming we know what is right and jumping in to assert our experience, expertise, and good intentions, we need to step back, listen and be ready to learn, unlearn, and adapt.”

The National Organization of Minority Architects (https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/14664-national-organization-of-minority-architects-publishes-statement-on-racial-injustice)

"As the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), we are calling on our members and our broader professional community 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. As architects, we are professionally responsible for protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the public. The tragic execution of Black Americans at the hands of people infected by racism has plagued our nation for generations . . . 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?"

AIA New York and the Center for Architecture (https://www.aiany.org/news/dismantling-injustice-and-systemic-racism/)

“Now is the time to have more difficult conversations about what our community and profession can do to make change, and to work for justice and fair access to opportunity and wellbeing. An architect offers society specific skills that are not accessible to everyone and is often in a position of privilege; thus it falls on our community to put our hard-won problem-solving skills to work in the struggle for a more just and equitable society. This cannot be done if our profession continues to fail to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve.”

The National Trust for Historic Preservation (https://savingplaces.org/press-center/media-resources/statement-on-death-of-george-floyd-and-the-aftermath#.Xt1eGG5Fyhd) 

“Each of us, in our own communities, businesses, and institutions at all levels, must commit to do all we can to create constructive spaces where justice and peace can flourish—including in those places that reflect our history as Americans. If we are successful, we will find our way to a more unified society, where outbreaks of pain and outrage will become only a thing of the past. We have much work to do in this country to acknowledge and shift a legacy begun hundreds of years ago, but I firmly believe we can find a way to healing and peace by respecting the humanity of every person, and by making that evident in the very fabric of our communities.”

 

Screenshot of the Miro board created during the June 5, 2020 AIA Oregon Social Justice Listening Session.

 

Of course, words are cheap. We will see if I and my colleagues in architecture truly become part of the solution. The challenge before all of us is formidable but perhaps a cue for action lies within its dismaying and intimidating complexity. Racism does not originate within a vacuum; neither does architecture. It’s clear architects won’t have all the answers. Anyone who is confident they have them has instead an exaggerated sense of their own importance or abilities.

 

Our world and anything we touch is influenced by the environment, structure, and purpose—in a word, everything is part of a complex system, one that is far more than the sum of its parts. Changing one part of the system may affect other parts of the whole system. Better, more inclusive districts, neighborhoods, and buildings are only capable of doing so much but they can be part of the adaptations necessary to correct the system and bolster its resilience. Architects can help here. We certainly can work toward the redesign of spaces that have exacerbated oppression and inequality.

 

Has my perspective on the current national discussion been shaped by what I have seen and read in media accounts? Yes. Do I have all the facts on the matter before me? No, not yet. I need to listen and learn much more. Have I as a person of Asian descent suffered at the hands of bigotry as much as others have? Fortunately, no. Regardless, I can try to empathize with those who have.

 

I do believe the tumultuous baring of racial injustice and the resultant protests—against the backdrop of a global pandemic—may prove cathartic. My hope is it will lead to self-reflection by many. I hope the misguided few will recognize how irrational their hatred for “others” plainly is. I hope many of the rest of us will acknowledge our complicity with a system that has perpetuated societal inequities for far too long. I am optimistic we may see real change, so the lives lost will not have been in vain.