Our Forum, Our Impact: Racial Justice

LA.IDEA partnered with the Equity Committee by WIELD, and DC NOMA to host a new discussion series, Our Forum, Our Impact. This series aims to tackle tough conversations surrounding a myriad of issues with the first discussion centered around racial justice. We had over 200 registrants as we discussed systemic racism, individual contributions, and how those factors affect the design profession in our first session held on June 17th.

The webinar's agenda consisted of:

1. Starting Point for Conversation: Systemic Racism definition, by watching a short video

2. Defining the levels of participation in racism, presented by Howard Mack, Board member of DC NOMA.

3. Getting to the Growth Zone: how to be more aware about racism, and to become actively anti-racist

4. Addressing Racial Justice int he Design Profession presented by Gina Fernandes, President of DC NOMA

5. Polling - understanding how the participants assess themselves and their firms in regards to these topics

6. Break-out sessions: We hosted two different sessions where conversation was open and everybody could share their points of view and discuss the topics presented

We left this session with action items for individuals, firms, and AIA|DC, so we all can contribute to a more equitable profession. It was thrilling to see so many different people join us in this important conversation, and we are incredibly proud to have kick started this series in partnership with WIELD and DC NOMA, which we are committed to keep as a staple event from AIA DC for years to come.

A big thank yo to everyone who joined us, and good news - The next session is already scheduled for August 19th - Our Forum, Our Impact: Architecture Firms as Allies and Advocates.