Becoming a Black Architect
Perception and Opportunity
The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) published two articles that highlight important aspects about what it means to be a black architect in the United States. I do not speak for NCARB, but I believe the intent of posting diversity statistics in architecture is for transparency via bench marking to change the demographics of the profession. Furthermore, the intent of posting about a hip hop architecture camp shows efforts to open up to under served communities but the combination of the two articles sparked a few ideas unique to being an African American architect that I wanted to write about. I sometimes jump back and forth between African American and black, but being black is more universal in the sense that black people from other countries will likely not have the same experiences if they lived in the US.
If you read the NCARB article about diversity, they offer a statistic that only 2% of licensed architects are black/African American. That could include foreign born black people, inclusive of African Americans. African American women are also included within the 2%. While women and other minorities are discussed in the article, there is a lot of subtext that deserves elaboration for African Americans specifically. Since I am an African American architect, I don’t intend to speak for everyone, but rather give my individual perspective from inside the profession. Both articles were published around the time that I became licensed and I believe there are important ideas to share and/or open up for discussion.
People in Africa don’t question that they are capable of being an architect, doctor, physicist or anything else for that matter. The United States’ history of slavery, discrimination, structural racism, pervasive subconscious racism and vilification of African Americans diminish what African American children think they are capable of and these unfortunate realities are reinforced by the number of African American architects to identify with. The reality of this 2% statistic creates the perception of an unattainable profession and it snowballs with the fact that the rising costs of education required to become an architect preceeds a profession that notoriously pays less than other professions. When you consider the time required to gain proper experience and the level of education needed to sit for the exams, it creates hardship. Some people may have the inclination to think the 2% is proof that it is possible for African Americans to become architects, and flip it to mean there is a lack of ability, effort or interest for those that are not architect. This simply isn’t the case. In the article posted by NCARB, it highlights that the percentages decline consistently across all demographics as careers advance for the reasons I listed above. This decline supports something that is more systematic across all demographics, but it doesn’t provide in-depth analysis beyond the statistical trends. Similarly, it identifies the increased representation of women in the profession, but it does not provide reasons for why. While it’s no mystery that African American communities typically lack the means to expose children to the architectural profession, that lack of opportunity combined with the seemingly unrealistic goal to become an architect and lacking the means to do so are what really drive the statistical disparities for African Americans. After I took my first class in architecture, I knew I found something that suited my personality and interests. It may be humility but I do not believe I am simply a statistical anomaly. The perception of being attainable is equally as important to change as providing the opportunity and the means pursue architecture.
The first time I encountered NOMA was 10 years after I moved to New York working in various architectural firms. I came to an unspoken decision that is unique for African Americans to face in architecture. I’ve personally witnessed the undertones, unspoken and unwritten rules that people use to skip over the reality of racism, but the point of this post is to not gloss this over. So my apologies if any of this offends you. The decision to become part of NOMA or other minority architecture organizations provides the opportunity to connect your profession to people like you knowing the lack of exposure exists In the community. This is a blue pill of sorts. Statistically speaking, this would be the home for future African American architects and it would be naive to think it’s a coincidence that this opportunity only comes via volunteer work does not speak to the profession at large and would not impact the nature of the interaction. Working with NOMA can do a lot of good to further the profession to this new population, however joining an organization based on racial identity is a double edged sword. NOMA says it includes all minorities, but it is really an Black/African American organization. Secondly, joining an African American organization is not something that many other races will feel open to interact with. There is potential to isolate yourself in a profession where you are already isolated because of skin color. It’s important to take all of these things into consideration because African American architects are so scarce as it is.
The red pill comes from the perception from African Americans. When you are not part of the organization, there is this air of rejection of the community and while it was never spoken, I’ve felt it directly. I looked into being more involved but in the end, I did not pursue it because I do not want my interaction with the African American community to be within the framework of charity or some sort of elevated status for me where I am donating my time. These things do not go unnoticed. It did not resonate well when I thought about it in this light and I couldn’t shake the feeling. Part of what I am able to offer at this point is representation. Simply being a creative and exemplary architect is the best that I can provide until I have the means to do more. I want people to know that it is possible. It is attainable. The root of racism is the belief that capabilities, aptitudes, skills or behavior is based on race and I reject wholeheartedly. It may be humility, but I don’t think that I am a statistical anomaly within the African American community. I had an opportunity and I pursued it while facing similar challenges anyone would face along the way. 2% can be a daunting number to consider, but I fully believe that if I can do it, others can as well. In a previous life, I was pursuing the NFL and Division I football players have less than 1% to make it to the NFL, but I still pursued it. At the same time, the expectation that I am somehow tasked to repeal and repair history and other people’s behaviors is pressure not placed on other demographics. When you are pursuing your passion, you shouldn’t have to bear the weight of correcting history, but at the same time it also does not mean that I don’t do everything I can within my means to help.
Hip Hop Architecture Camp
As I previously mentioned, I believe representation and perception are factors preventing African Americans from becoming architects. The second blog post that stirred up a slew of ideas for me was a post about a program that “aims to introduce underrepresented youth to architecture and urban design through the lens of hip-hop culture”. Click on the link to read the article. I will expand on why this is relevant to the ideas of representation and perception below.
The strategy for how to approach a problem will undoubtedly affect the outcome. The hip hop architecture camp program asks the students to interpret the lyrics of hip hop music into models that represent the ideas. While it is a simple exercise that gets kids to think how to interpret ideas into physical form, the strategy raises important questions about perception and how that translates into representation. Hip hop was created in the midst of significant historical architectural movements and eras. Why wouldn’t the program focus on studying the environment and explore the connections to hip hop? Why not introduce the affect of architecture on psychology and use this to engage the children’s environment and connect it to design thinking? What were the decisions that led to the curriculum to be what it is?
My struggle with this program is that it takes something that is culturally relevant to the African American community (hip hop) and instead of engaging the natural creativity of children and let them explore how to apply this to their environment, they made a music video and ended up writing a rap verse about how architecture can help the community. In my opinion, children need to be opened up to the idea that they can be architects and not be asked to solve the systematic and structural problems of their environment. I don’t believe that is the best introduction to the profession because of the underlying message of it’s strategy. Rappers, musicians and athletes are the default paths offered to African American children being represented in society. The fact that the product of this camp is a music video could defeat the purpose of introducing them to architecture because it indirectly reverts back to stereotypical roles for African Americans. The thought that this strategy is familiar to children and will make them more receptive to pursuing architecture seems misguided. I think it goes too far to make it “accessible” to the point of missing potentially a strong opportunity to impact the trajectory of children’s lives in a much more meaningful way by opening them up to the world of architecture. To be frank, it offends me to think that the best way to introduce African American children to architecture is by turning them into hip hop performers and not students. I’ve explored hip hop as an influence on architecture and it was always more layered and substantial that is by no means literal.
Beyond my frustrations with the strategy of the program, the underlying message is even more disappointing. I imagine being a kid going to a class and being asked to do this. I simply wouldn’t want to do it. Not every African American child is a rapper or musician. And hip hop as an art form is often dimmed down to it’s lowest common denominator, never being appreciated for the diversity of perspectives. This wasn’t always the case, but it is how the hip hop industry has developed over the years. Hip hop offers opportunities to connect to a larger community and push the envelope creatively. I hope you see how this relates back to the ideas of perception and representation. The perception is that African American children need to have architecture presented in the form of hip hop for them to understand it, when it is not the case. And this is represented through a music video or a staple sculpture painted gold which are both over saturated in society at large. There is so much more depth to African Americans than this and it is frustrating to see.
