The American Institute of Architecture St. Louis Chapter
Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee

SURVEY RESULTS

DEFINITIONS:

• JUSTICE: Dismantling barriers (racism, classism, sexism, etc.) to resources and opportunities in society (power, wealth, education, healthcare, etc.) so that all individuals and communities can live full and dignified lives.
• EQUITY: Allocating resources in a way that recognizes individual advantages and barriers to ensure everyone has access to the same opportunities.Equity recognizes that advantages and barriers exist.Equity is the approach & equality is the outcome.
• DIVERSITY: Representation of all people in society, encompassing race, ethnicity, gender, identity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, religion, socioeconomic status, ability, education, marital status, parental status, language, physical appearance, and other characteristics used to marginalize groups.
• INCLUSION: Environments in which any individual or group can be and feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued to fully participate and be their full, authentic selves.

PURPOSE STATEMENT:

The AIA St. Louis Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (J.E.D.I.) Committee provides programming, training, volunteer, and community engagement opportunities in an effort to increase diversity, create equity, and encourage inclusivity in our profession, chapter, and practices and take a stand in support of social justice in our community.

GOALS:

• Support member firms’ and individual members’ awareness and advocacy of our chapter J.E.D.I. mission by providing educational and practical resources.
• Increase educational efforts in the community geared towards underrepresented minorities in an effort to increase the diversity in architecture school applicants from the St. Louis region.
• Increase the number of underrepresented minorities remaining in and leading the architecture profession in an effort to align with the number of underrepresented minority architecture school graduates.
• Lend our voices, skills, and support to reverse historic, ingrained, and systemic prejudice, disadvantage, disinvestment, and marginalization of people and places in our community.

ACTIONS:

ENGAGE

• Measure and report how principles of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (J.E.D.I.) permeate the AIA St. Louis and our practices.
• Develop a firm self-assessment tool to measure and track initiatives that create a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive practice.Criteria can include policies, work/life balance, family-friendly benefits, etc.
• Create a pledge for firms to commit to just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive principles and practices.
• Require J.E.D.I. data as part of AIA awards submission.
• Ensure AIA programming is accessible to all members.
• Ensure AIA programming and publications reflect, depict, and engage the full range of communities represented in the ranks of architects.
• Create and grow relationships with architecture and community organizations working towards social change.

EDUCATE

• Develop J.E.D.I. continuing education programming and explore ways to ensure member/architect awareness.
• Evaluate existing programming to incorporate J.E.D.I. principles.
• Promote the AIA Guides for Equitable Practice.

EMPOWER

• Engage the next generation of architecutre students and their families with K-12 architecture mentorship programs, create a school conselor partnership to identify, engage, and prepare architectrue career candidates, and enlist architects to volunteer in communites.
• Grow AIA St. Louis diversity scholarships and funding for underrepresented students.
• Advocate for equitable and accessible paths to higher education and licensure by working with NAAB & NCARB.
• Engage local architecture schools to empower future architects and retain diverse talent in St. Louis.
• Promote J.E.D.I. awareness and action in the organization and ask Board of Directors to commit to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• Prepare AIA St. Louis to lead relevant and socially conscious conversations and become an organization that embodies J.E.D.I. values.
• Advocate for equitable policies in our building practices and codes at city, state, and national levels.

EVENTS:

Designing for Neurodiversity and Inclusion

Thursday, September 28, 2023

An interactive panel discussion that will open the door to conversations about what it means to be neurodivergent, the connection between neurodiversity and space, and how to create equitable design for neurodiversity. This event is organized in collaboration with IIDA & STLNoma

Learn more and RSVP here

All-Gender Restroom Design

Thursday, November 2, 2023

Watch out for more event details here

PAST EVENTS:

2023 Past Events

2021 & 2022 Past Events

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:

WEBPAGES

• AIA - Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging - https://www.aia.org/landing-pages/6436683-equity-diversity-inclusion-and-belonging
• The AIA Guides for Equitable Practice - https://www.aia.org/resources/6076046-guides-for-equitable-practice:46
• The AIA Framework for Design Excellence - https://content.aia.org/sites/default/files/2020-08/Framework_for_design_excellence_v3.pdf
• The Starkloff Disability Institute - https://starkloff.org/
• National Organization of Minority Architects, STL Chapter - https://www.stlnoma.com/
• Diversity Awareness Partnership - https://dapinclusive.org/
• The St. Louis Mosaic Project - https://www.stlmosaicproject.org/
• Institute for Human Centered Design -  https://www.humancentereddesign.org/
• An Investigation into Bias in the Architecture Profession -  https://www.aia.org/pages/6435906-an-investigation-into-bias-in-the-architec
• AIAU - https://aiau.aia.org/
  Search “equity” “diversity” “inclusion” “belonging” and/or “justice” to find courses that include:
  • Black Stories in Architecture
  • Body Politics: Social Equity & Inclusive Public Spaces
  • Community-Driven Design: Lessons from Indigenous Practice 
  • Design for Equitable Communities. AIA Framework for Design Excellence
  • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for the Workforce: A Look at a Public Agency’s Strategy
  • Implementing the Guides for Equitable Practice
  • Implementing Justice in the Built Environment
  • So You Want to Build an Equitable Future? Practice Innovation through Universal + Inclusive Design 
  • So You Want to Design for All? Designing for Belonging
  • The Culture of Architecture – A Multicultural Perspective on Design Through the Lens of Diverse Storytelling
  • The State of Equity in Architecture
  
   

BOOKS

• Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong
• So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
• They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, Harmony Becker
• American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures by America Ferrera
• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
• White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo
• Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
• Know my Name by Chanel Miller

** Consider donating to our chapter’s diversity fund - AIA St. Louis Scholarship Fund

For inquries regarding the J.E.D.I committee please contact Melissa Harlan at mharlan@kikuobata.com

CLICK HERE TO MEET THE AIA ST. LOUIS J.E.D.I COMMITTEE MEMBERS