As many recent surveys have noted, the design world has been slow to incorporate people from historically under-represented communities into its ranks, particularly in leadership positions. While a variety of causes lead to this, and greater efforts are required to address it, we are committed to using our resources to contribute to and catalyze that change in design. — Center for Urban Pedagogy
At a time when inclusion is as crucial as ever in the architecture community and beyond, the non-profit Center for Urban Pedagogy in Brooklyn is encouraging designers from historically under-represented communities in the design profession to apply to their inaugural Change in Design Fellowship, a yearlong career training and mentorship program.
The call for applications is open to anyone who identifies as a member of an under-represented community (including but not limited to people of color, people from low-income, immigrant, or LGBTQ communities, formerly incarcerated people, and others), with a strong interest in CUP's work.
The fellowship is probably the best fit for recent design graduates, but applicants aren't required to have a degree. However, applicants will need to submit a portfolio and any evidence that demonstrates their design abilities and proficiency in design software. The fellowship is also a full-time position that includes a monthly stipend and benefits.
The Fellow will be selected from a two-stage juried process, and will work with CUP from June 2017 through May 2018. Applications are due May 1 at noon, Eastern Time.
Interested in applying? Find full details about the Fellowship on CUP's website.
the fellowship is specifically targeted to under-represented demographics, with the intent to create more avenues for said demographics to participate in design discourse. let me unpack this easy shit for you:
1) racism: "we only accept brown people because white people are racially inferior"
2) not racism: "we only accept brown people because we want more brown people in the design profession"
that's it! there's nothing else to read into the situation.
All 14 Comments
From the Applicant Info PDF:
"The ideal candidate will:
• Identify as a member of community that is historically under-represented in the design professions, including but not limited to people of color; people from low-income, LGBTQ, or immigrant communities; formerly incarcerated people; and others "
Wow, you use a lot of words to say "white men need not apply".
Racist.
Get over it snowflake.
it's a fake account.
The presumption with your absurd "reality" is that white men aren't also gay, formerly incarcerated, or immigrants. Your racism tho...
Reverse racism is not a thing, James.
Racism involves punching down; white men in the US can *only* punch down, never up, so there is no "racism" against them.
Racism involves judging people based on the color of their skin.
Identifying people and separating them based on race or any other non-merit qualification is a tremendous mistake and is racism.
It is time we change the tone of this discourse from one-sided hatred of white men to a real path towards letting go of race.
Wrong again.
The personal realm encompasses our values, beliefs, attitudes, and feelings. Racism is expressed in the personal realm in such things as fear of difference, prejudice, and stereotypes. Examples include the belief European American cultural and religious traditions are inherently superior or the belief that People of Color are less capable of academic excellence than White People.
In the interpersonal realm, individuals act on their fears, prejudices, and stereotypes. These behaviors, which can be conscious or unconscious, can be expressed as discrimination, condescension, verbal abuse or physical violence. Examples include such things as White people avoiding contact with People of Color or White People exhibiting paternalism in their interactions with People of Color.
Racism in the institutional realm finds expression in policies, practices, rules, or procedures that have been formally adopted or are informally in place. These policies, practices, rules, and procedures function, intentionally or unintentionally, to grant unearned privileges to White people and to disadvantage People of Color. Examples of institutional racism include such things as racial profiling and searching for new staff members of a congregation through predominantly White friendship, publicity, and colleague networks.
The cultural realm refers to what groups value as right, true, beautiful, normal and worthy of our time and attention. Our cultural norms or beliefs affect what we understand to be normal or appropriate styles of behavior, expression, and thought. Cultural racism is manifest when the cultural values of the dominant racial group are considered the only acceptable values. Examples of cultural racism include such things as images of Christ as a White Person or the belief that European classical music and hymns are “real” church music.
You are a white women from Indiana. And from your account, a long history of working just in white society, at the privileged university class. You never experienced real hatred, beatings, police brutality, or concentration camps. You never experienced racial slaughter by British officers in India, or American officers in Iraq. Judging from your long record on your account, the chances you ever even remotely suffered was writing in your tenure application.
The idea that you have any concept or practical experience to back your claims, is laughable. At best, Internalized guilt for the sins of your ancestors boiling over to grovel at their sins to ignore your own.
Grow. Up.
So you would be ok with them turning down a qualified person because they are white? Also, what white people do you know? Sounds like you hang around country clubs.
The answer is right in your response, Chris: the word "superior". People of color, trans people, other-abled, poor...these historically under-represented communities aren't saying they're "superior"; they're saying they're equal.
Only people who are terrified are losing their personal privilege feel that others asking for equality is a threat. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
You are sincerely mistaken.
+++Chris Teeter
Because you won't click the link. I'll do the work you won't.
The personal realm encompasses our values, beliefs, attitudes, and feelings. Racism is expressed in the personal realm in such things as fear of difference, prejudice, and stereotypes. Examples include the belief European American cultural and religious traditions are inherently superior or the belief that People of Color are less capable of academic excellence than White People.
In the interpersonal realm, individuals act on their fears, prejudices, and stereotypes. These behaviors, which can be conscious or unconscious, can be expressed as discrimination, condescension, verbal abuse or physical violence. Examples include such things as White people avoiding contact with People of Color or White People exhibiting paternalism in their interactions with People of Color.
Racism in the institutional realm finds expression in policies, practices, rules, or procedures that have been formally adopted or are informally in place. These policies, practices, rules, and procedures function, intentionally or unintentionally, to grant unearned privileges to White people and to disadvantage People of Color. Examples of institutional racism include such things as racial profiling and searching for new staff members of a congregation through predominantly White friendship, publicity, and colleague networks.
The cultural realm refers to what groups value as right, true, beautiful, normal and worthy of our time and attention. Our cultural norms or beliefs affect what we understand to be normal or appropriate styles of behavior, expression, and thought. Cultural racism is manifest when the cultural values of the dominant racial group are considered the only acceptable values. Examples of cultural racism include such things as images of Christ as a White Person or the belief that European classical music and hymns are “real” church music.
I once met a guy with no hands. They where chopped off by an opposing tribe who believed that they where racially/culturally superior. Both sides are black fyi, but to them they are as different as any other race. Racism is not just a thing white dudes do. Unfortunatly its a global human phenomena. It needs to be stopped in the heart and mind before we see that reflected in the larger society. Excluding white people from a job where they want to offer their service to help a cause is a foolish and counterproductive act. It certainly promotes and further divides race. I want everyone to have an equal opportunity at success. For that to happen, equal opportunity must not be convoluted with equal outcomes (as Chris also said). All that will do is feed into the race tension...that is already being exploited by politics/media/and privilaged social justice warriors who found global warming to be too hard.
Why is that when we are talking about colonialism, and american slavery/Jim Crow/New Jim Crow, in the context of institutional and structural racism, you bring up the horrible things to happen to people from other countries, as though given that what happened here is bad, so much worse happens outside of Amerikkka? Focus on the here, and the now and our place in the problem.
Because You are looking at a single manifestation of a much broader anthropological/sociological problem. Racism can only be addressed by examining its root causes. The fact that the phenomena is far reaching does not minimize any single manifestation, jim crow, holocaust, genecide, etc. rather, it suggests/begs a deeper reading.
That said, structural racism can only be fixed by either dismanteling the structure (top down), or by dismanteling the inner racial ignorance and tension that festers in the mind of the people (bottom up). The tactic of creating more structural racism, more layers of seperation, or at the very least racial exclusion, exacerbates the problem for obvious reasons.
Nice copy & paste mate, but I would not call that 'work'.
But still, for discussion's sake, let's apply these to the current situation in question then, shall we?
Personal Realm. Harboring a personal belief that all white people or all men are as a race or gender somehow more privileged than any other race or group of people, ignoring the individual in favor of a stereotype or prejudice.
Interpersonal Realm. To be fair I don't think I am accusing anyone in this discussion of exhibiting 'paternalism' towards white male applicants, but clearly there is a preference to avoid contact by not wishing to hire a white male applicant.
Institutional Realm. This is definitely a problem in this situation. You are institutionalizing a hatred towards white males, and by not allowing them to contribute their voices or work at an institution, perpetuate a hatred of white males in the institutions that run this field for generations to come.
Cultural Realm. Somehow, white males have been labelled as hateful, privileged, and smug in the architectural circles. Someone who comments something about not automatically assuming white males don't deserve to have their voices heard anymore or that they are not overly privileged is not considered 'worthy of thought', or was 'not properly educated'.
White males have become a scapegoat for long-standing inequalities in this profession and in the larger world. This is the basis of my concern, as it is also racism. It is not 'reverse racism', it is just racism.
The discussion needs to shift from handicapping whites and males to moving towards more productive, frank, and open discussions about producing a fair world with equal opportunity for equal merit.
Eh, mate. Nice try troll. White men tears are not flowing here.
The presumption with your absurd "reality" is that white men aren't also gay, formerly incarcerated, or immigrants. Your racism tho...
Quality answer. Did you learn how to copy/paste arguments and call people trolls in a 4 year or 7 year program?
You. Have. Zero. Quality.
The presumption with your absurd "reality" is that white men aren't also gay, formerly incarcerated, or immigrants. Your racism tho...
Why would a white man have to say he is gay, or be arrested for a crime to be considered 'ok' for this job? Besides literally all white men in this country are immigrants already, so... Why do they bother putting this identity politics language in there at all?
You. YOU are the one suggesting that white males are being excluded, no such language exists. Zero. I again, will restate; if you are a white male, and happen to be a member of these communities that are marginalized, you still have a place, and a voice. If you've never been convicted of a crime, you have zero understanding of the dynamics at play, zero.
don't feed the troll, he doesn't know how to feed himself.
Personal Realm. Harboring a personal belief that all white people or all men are as a race or gender somehow more privileged than any other race or group of people, ignoring the individual in favor of a stereotype or prejudice.
That White Anglo Saxons have more privilege is not a belief. It's a fact. The US Constitution was written by White Men, expressly for, White Male Owning Class. Can Black people have racist beliefs about White people? Of course, can they practice their beliefs - outside of religion - against whites, in a systemic, or institutional fashion - again outside religion? Not that I've seen.
Again, in the context of this news piece, you've suggested something that is your fiction, your reading, and not expressly stated. I reject your premise, precisely because it is not stated as "White Males Need Not Apply". But, I am prepared for evidence to the contrary.
Interpersonal Realm. To be fair I don't think I am accusing anyone in this discussion of exhibiting 'paternalism' towards white male applicants, but clearly there is a preference to avoid contact by not wishing to hire a white male applicant.
Where? Are you suggesting white men can't be gay, ex-cons, from GB, or Australia?
Institutional Realm. This is definitely a problem in this situation. You are institutionalizing a hatred towards white males, and by not allowing them to contribute their voices or work at an institution, perpetuate a hatred of white males in the institutions that run this field for generations to come.
Where? Are you suggesting white men can't be gay, ex-cons, from GB, or Australia?
Cultural Realm. Somehow, white males have been labelled as hateful, privileged, and smug in the architectural circles. Someone who comments something about not automatically assuming white males don't deserve to have their voices heard anymore or that they are not overly privileged is not considered 'worthy of thought', or was 'not properly educated'.
Again, white tears. Poor, poor, poor white men, there there, someday, you'll reach the mountain top, someday, somewhere....
The ideal candidate will:
• Identify as a member of community that is historically under-represented in the design professions, including but not limited to people of color; people from low-income, LGBTQ, or immigrant communities; formerly incarcerated people; and others
• Have a background in design, particularly graphic, communication, or UI design. We believe this is a good position for a recent graduate from a design program. However, we recognize that individuals with potential to become great designers may come from a broader range of experiences. Therefore, we do not require a degree in a design field (or any degree at all). However, we do require evidence, in the form of a portfolio of images, of your skills and abilities as a designer, and your proficiency with design software.
CUP is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fair and inclusive employment practices, and strongly encourage people of color, women, LGBTQ individuals, people with disabilities, and others who may contribute to the diversification of ideas to apply.
[But please. Go on with your race baiting and narrow reading of something you're clearly not interested in applying for, or contributing your help to change.
White people, should, discuss racism, on a structural and systemic level, we're responsible for its existence, in America.
Chris. Yes
Beta, you saw "Get Out," correct? Recall the beginning of the dinner party during the intellectual discussions...
Marc, I did, and like the James Baldwin Doc, I have to see Get Out, again. I missed too many of the subtleties. I didn't read any think pieces, prior to seeing, and went in thinking about a "horror" film. I was a bit overwhelmed.
Haven't seen the Baldwin doc yet. But there are some aspects of this conversation that remind me of the pre-auction scenes.
Marc, went to see Get Out this weekend. The scene you were referencing, was it where Chris is asked whether or not black people were better off today, than they were in the past?
yes. that entire set of subtle conversations.
I still can't figure this one out, maybe you white people can help me understand, what does this mean; [including but not limited to people of color]...?
the fellowship is specifically targeted to under-represented demographics, with the intent to create more avenues for said demographics to participate in design discourse. let me unpack this easy shit for you:
1) racism: "we only accept brown people because white people are racially inferior"
2) not racism: "we only accept brown people because we want more brown people in the design profession"
that's it! there's nothing else to read into the situation.
If it is so 'easy' why does it need to be 'unpacked'? That is merely a buzzword for explaining a distorted manner of thinking.
According to your logic, there should be a system to mandate more white people into the NBA, because of under-representation.
Racism means judging, selecting, picking, separating people by their race. It is a messed up practice however it is done.
There was, it was called 1950's. In fact, the NCAA outlawed dunks, until 1976, because; white people can't jump.
Huh, I wonder why they stopped that practice? Because it was an old, racist, bad idea?
James, you understand how a private industry, such as NBA, NFL, MLB, or NHL is different than say the profession of architecture? You understand that physical ability, skill and economics in major league sports is not remotely similar to the profession of architecture? You understand, right? Or, are you making the case that a profession that currently has 1.6% african americans, and .2% african american women, is not worth discussing, noting, fretting, when African Americans make up 13% of the US? Are you saying that skill is the problem? Are you not recognizing that economics and racism is at play?
Hockey, one of the most expensive sports to play, has a greater percentage of african americans, 5%, than does my profession.
Which brings me to NBA; the economics of playing basketball, while significantly less than any other sport - need ball and sneakers - is certainly no guarantee of greatness. Perhaps those white college players, while never excluded from the NBA, aren't interested in playing a sport where there are few guarantees.
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