Study Architecture 
ProPEL Statement from the ACSA Board of Directors
The year 2021 has shown us so far that although the quest for racial justice in the United States may be gaining traction, progress continues to meet strong resistance. State legislatures are attempting to further disenfranchise people of color with extreme voting regulations. The trial and conviction of the police officer responsible for the death of George Floyd and news of the recent deaths of Ma’Khia Bryant in Columbus, Daunte Wright in Minneapolis, and Adam Toledo in Chicago at the hands of police officers bring graphic reminders of the violence against people of color and its toll on victims and witnesses alike. The mass shootings in Atlanta and Indianapolis (2 of more than 140 in 2021) deepen the context of racial violence. As well, the increase in hate and violence directed toward people of Asian and Pacific descent marks a disturbing trend that echoes histories of violence, exclusion, and internment in the US and Canada and calls for continued action by authorities and support from all communities.
Regardless of our race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or abilities, we must continue to speak out against injustice and exclusion. For ACSA this includes advocating for changes in architecture and architectural education to remedy the systemic embrace of historically White and Eurocentric theories, design aesthetics, and processes as the best or only bases in our discipline.
Another long and unprecedented academic year is ending. We want to further acknowledge the pressures in higher education of doing one’s best work. Feelings of anxiety, depression, and outrage are among the documented mental health challenges that Black, Indigenous and other people of color experience as a result of systemic racism. We understand that these feelings increase at times, like now, when injustices are made public. These feelings may also compound when pressure mounts in school and at work. We encourage the faculty, staff, and students at our member schools to approach the end of the year with empathy toward others and a renewed commitment to advocate for stakeholders grappling with injustices across the globe.
Read ACSA’s June 3, 2020 Commitment to Equity.
Related Content
Below, we have provided an initial list of links to related content, understanding that it is not exhaustive, that many others are working beyond our sphere, and that more work can be done. If you would like to add a resource, please email us.
Resources
U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division
Stay Safe From the Hate Booklet
Examining Whiteness: An Anti-Racism Curriculum
Online Discussions and Webinars
ACSA Data and Equity By Design
ACSA108 Virtual Conference and ACSA/ASINEA Border Workshop
Racial Equity and the Future of Work in TAD 4:1 Translation
JAE Online Review of The Color of Law by Diane Jones Allen
What Will It Take?: Reflections on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Architectural Education in JAE 73:2 Work
Less Talk | More Action – 2019 Fall Conference
Where Are My People? Black in Architecture
Where Are My People? Hispanic & Latinx in Architecture
Where Are My People? Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander in Architecture
Where Are My People? Native American, First Nations & Indigenous in Architecture
School Resources
Anti-Asian and Pacific Islander History
Questions
Michael J. Monti
Executive Director
202-785-2324
equitablefutures@acsa-arch.org
