Black History Month 2020 A Call to Action: BE VISIBLE
On February 4th of this year, Kimberly Dowdell AIA, Principal at HOK and NOMA National President, issued a Presidential Message in honor of Rosa Parks’ birthday and celebration of Black History Month. In her message, she echoed a charge that has been the mantra of 2020 for NOMA. The charge is simply to “Be Visible.” For myself, as a black woman architect, it goes without any real effort for me to stand out visually. So, what does this action of “Being Visible” really mean? At a recent lecture that I attended, one of the guest speakers who is a highly respected woman in the Nashville AEC industry commented that “When a person in the minority is in a place of leadership, they are looked upon as the ambassador of the minority group which they are a part of, but when a person in the majority is in a place of leadership they are only expected to represent themselves.” I have felt the truth of this statement for my entire life, but this was the first time that I heard a person outside of my race speak these words. At that moment, I felt a sense of validation in my charge to “Be Visible” not only because I will be perceived as a representative whether I want to be or not, but rather because I firmly believe that “If you do not SEE it, you will likely not BE it.” This quote always leads me to an internal discussion on how I want to be seen, as it should for everyone reading this article. You may not readily feel that you are in a place of leadership, but there are always opportunities given, assumed, or accepted that would put you in a position where someone is looking to you to lead by example. For the remainder of this article, I will express the version of visible that I am charged to be as a black woman architect, and I sincerely hope that it is received as relatable and action provoking transcending race and gender barriers.
BE an inspiration.
Last year NOMA Nashville (NOMAnash) published The Coloring Book of Architecture. Several chapter members and I became published authors of a book that not only educated targeted K-12 minority students about what architects do, but it inspired them to an understanding that architecture is an attainable career choice to which they may have not otherwise been exposed. It amazed me every time that I would visit a school to deliver books, regardless of all the beautiful coloring pages in the book, the students would always be the most amazed by the biography pages. They would run up to me with the biggest smiles, open the book wide, and scream, “Look!! That’s You!!”. I could instantly see the wheels turning in their minds as they quieted down, went back to their seats, and flipped back and forth through the biography pages of all the architects and designers that contributed to the book. The Amazon published book has not only been an inspiration to Nashville area children, as it has made its way into many classrooms and all MNPS Maker Space Libraries, but the book has inspired on a national level as well through the Amazon format. The coloring books have been supported by many sponsors in the Nashville AEC community that share NOMA’s commitment to making education accessible to all youth on the architectural profession.
BE an advocate.
In January 2020, I was elected President of the Tennessee Architects Political Action Committee (TAPAC). I am no doubt the first black woman architect to do so, but I do not see this as a success for myself but as a success for the profession because regardless of my race and gender, I hold the position. Make no mistake, I did not accept the nomination so that I could be black on the committee. As I stated earlier, that takes zero effort. What I did sign up for was to BE an advocate for the profession of architecture in the political realm. If you are not familiar with TAPAC, the AIA supported organization advocates for the relevance of architects, investing in infrastructure and historic preservation, incentives for energy conservation, resilience in building codes and planning, tax reform that helps small firms, student debt relief, and affordable housing. These are all initiatives for which I am very passionate about being an advocate and I am very proud to represent the architectural profession in this way.
BE a change maker.
As a Moody Nolan team member, I have the opportunity to take part in the advancement of a critical firm-led project here in Nashville. The Legacy Project is an initiative in which we are not only designing, but as a firm we are financially providing a mortgage-free home. The selected families in the Legacy Project are unable to afford the purchase of the home, but have the means to maintain it. At the heart of the Legacy Project is the idea of making change and having a direct impact… one house and one family at a time. We are making this project possible through a partnership with the community based non-profit organization, The Housing Fund, and with Messer Construction. This is a direct way of tackling the affordable housing crisis that has had such a grip in Nashville’s predominately minority communities for decades. As architects and designers, we often feel that we must make moves on a grand scale in order to facilitate change. In doing so, however, we then underestimate the big impact that we can make on a small scale. The Legacy Project is an example of how as a catalyst for change, we can alter the trajectory of the lives of every member in one family for generations to come.
Visibility matters.
As President of the Nashville Chapter of NOMA, I echo and accept the charge given by the NOMA National President to Be Visible. By accepting this responsibility, I will advance it as part of our chapter’s goals with the understanding that the purpose of being visible is not simply to be seen but to be accessible, inspire action, foster leadership, and to develop opportunities. This visibility matters in the lives of those who are looking for a source of leadership in a personification to which they can identify. Visibility inspires. Visibility advocates. Visibility makes a change. It is our collective honor as the Nashville Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects to BE Visible and to positively impact the trajectory of Black History.
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