AIArchitect

Clarence,
Thank you for writing about this very important topic. This year when I was signing up for the knowledge communities, I did not include the Diversity committee because I never got any information from them. My preference would be to have that as my first choice, however, since the late 1990's it seems that there has been no activity.

Please let me know how I can help.
Best regards,
Mary Sabel
Atlanta, GA

2 most significant obstacles to diversity in architecture:

- economics
most people of color cannot afford to work for a profession that pays horrible wages and has little room for upward mobility if you are not part of the gentleman's club that architecture continues to be.

-culture
its too homogenous, and not as responsive as other professions to the opportunities offered by individuals from other cultures and disciplines.

the profession is in significant decline, and the lack of diversity is just one indicator of this.

Tom

Clarence,

I am committed to diversity in our profession as evidenced by my participation in the groundbreaking AIAPhiladelphia Convention 2000 legacy project establishing the Charter High School for Architecture and Design (CHAD) www.chadphila.org. This public school has provided inner city minority kids and opportunity to nurture their interest in the design and construction arts while completing a college prep academic program. The barriers that keep minorities from entering our profession start with the deficiencies in the public education system. Each member should find a way to encourage young people to follow their love of this profession.

Please let me know how I can help bring this message to the national membership.

Thanks for your efforts towards increasing diversity,

John Egan

Looking at these "mission" statements, why would the AIA want to "[e]xpand the diversity of the design professions to mirror the society that we serve?" This sounds like another social engineering scheme from the anointed elite. What would be achieved even if this were possible? How far down the list of attributes that describe how we are different should we go to ensure that we "mirror" the society we serve? Has anyone considered the possibility that those "underrepresented" folks might just have opted to go into fields that are more satisfying, less risky, and pay a good bit better?

Likewise, why is it the AIA's responsibility to "[p]romote awareness of the contributions of architects from under-represented racial, ethnic, gender, sexual orientation, age or disability groups?" Who determines who is "underrepresented?" What is the benefit and to whom?

I'm not sure what it means to "[E]ncourage alternatives to traditional practice models" but law, medicine, computer science and a host of others appear to be good candidates as I look back.

And finally, what in the world does it mean to "[p]rovide opportunities for an ever-greater variety of individuals to become architects, take advantage of leadership opportunities, and influence our practices and our professional lives?" How much "variety" is desirable? Or possible?

How does the author of this piece leap from "diversity" (undefined) to "discrimination" (undefined)? I don't know anyone who holds "the long-held notion that if you don't act or look like one of us, you're not really an architect." Whatever "problem" the author thinks he is attempting to describe and/or solve would seem to be beyond what an architect is licensed to do. Architects and the AIA are not in the affirmative action business.

The low readership numbers on the Kliment articles are not particularly surprising. I have read them and they are not very interesting. I was not "enthralled."

In a country of people representing such wide cultural groups, we are most absolutely in the socio-cultural understanding business. Whether designing schools, museums, prisons, office interiors, we are most absolutely in the divers-ity business due to the very first requirement of an architect...know thy client.

In a country of people representing such wide cultural groups, we are most absolutely in the socio-cultural understanding business. Whether designing schools, museums, prisons, office interiors, we are most absolutely in the divers-ity business due to the very first requirement of an architect...know thy client.