In Defense of Black Lives
The systems of design that shape our physical environments and govern our use of spaces directly reflect and contribute to racial oppression in our country. As our process demands, we stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, The Movement for Black Lives, and our Black colleagues and friends by acknowledging their pain, anger and grief from the murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others through state sanctioned violence.
These horrific actions are precipitated by the rules, regulations and policies which architects, planners and designers have helped author. As agents of the state, we have been active in the history of segregation and spatial and financial oppression of Black communities through redlining, predatory lending, urban renewal, failed public housing, and our silence on issues of environmental justice.
The leadership of the Open Architecture Collaborative believes that if we are not explicitly against systemic racism and oppression, we are contributing to its persistence. We made a commitment to shifting the culture of practice by addressing these inequities head on through teaching the historical context of racially motivated policies, prioritizing BIPOC lived experiences, focusing on personal identity awareness, and building safe community spaces to embrace the discomfort of sharing our stories. Through workshops, partnerships, and relationship-building we support those who want to work differently; to break down the white supremacy culture in our systems.
The Pathways to Equity program is OAC’s vehicle for interdisciplinary practitioners, designers, and architects to learn how to breakdown personal barriers and commit to anti-racist practices. We focus on self-reflection, building relationships, and hands-on learning to transfer intellectual, financial and community resources to our most impacted communities. We keep ourselves accountable by evaluating our work and publishing the outcomes. We support the culture shift of our allied industries in the built environment — from exclusion and complicity to inclusion and equity.
Open Architecture Collaborative Team & Board
Written on the unceded territories of the Ohlone, Chochenyo and Ramaytush peoples.
