Excited to Share | My Most Ambitious Initiative Yet!
Updated: Nov 7, 2021
Shaken by blatant racism, the relentless weight of this world and the injustice that it supports I was re-inspired to move the mission forward, leveraging the work I've done over the past few years.
Since our inception in January 2017, we have elevated and proclaimed the greatness of 250 diverse designers through our 15 SAY IT LOUD Exhibitions. The goal initially was to reach 500 featured designers in 5 years. The urgency for this content is NOW. As we discuss the books that must be removed from the curriculum (who are replacing the word "slavery" with "unpaid laborer") the BBE team is looking to make a meaningful addition, a textbook for schools of designs.
We are working towards publishing a Great Diverse Designers textbook and create an online directory for business opportunities for the featured designers leveraging the profiles that we've gathered.
World map of featured designers as of Juneteenth, 2020
United States map of featured designers as of Juneteenth, 2020
Deadline for submissions is September 1, 2020. We hope to double the number of profiles and reach the goal of 500.
When we launched the Dismantling Injustice initiative we were representing 34% of the US in the library, we want to reach a full 100%.
In addition to representing the United States, we are aiming to represent a global community of designers. Therefore in these new 250 submissions, we are seeking:
5 Caribbean islands presented
10 submissions from each inhabitable continent.
Number of Total Submission
Number of States Represented
Number of Submissions from the Caribbean Islands
Number of Submissions from Africa
Number of Submissions from Asia
Number of Submissions from Australia
Number of Submissions from Europe
Number of Submissions from South America
Who we are looking to elevate.
Diverse
Black
Indigenous
People of Color
Women of any ethnicity
Designers
Architects
Interiors
Landscape
Planners
Environmental
Engineers
Students
Artist
World map of progress as of August 17, 2020
United States progress as of August 17, 2020
Based on your incredible contributions to our profession, we would really like to encourage you to submit for the exhibition. We would also ask that you please encourage the women and diverse designers of your network to submit for the exhibition as well. Submit here: https://www.beyondthebuilt.com/say-it-now See our virtual exhibition progress: https://www.beyondthebuilt.com/say-it-loud-now
If you are wondering why I chose to send you this email, please know your support means everything to me. You are a part of my community and someone I aspire to make proud.
Your most ambitious initiative could be a project, an idea, slope game or a goal you wish to achieve.
Chasing 5 Caribbean island submissions, I tried the same “ask your network” push and got one reply, not a wave. What worked instead was a department admin forwarding the September 1, 2020 deadline to an HBCU listserv; six students submitted, then two professors. The 34% US library map finally moved. When we built the directory, a handful of the best AI tools handled tagging faster than our spreadsheet.
September 1, 2020 is the cutoff for the 250 new profiles—5 Caribbean islands, 10 submissions from each inhabitable continent—and that also matters to curriculum committees deciding whether to replace “slavery” with “unpaid laborer.” Design educators and students can use a worksheet platform for drafting inclusive design lessons while collecting local names for the Great Diverse Designers textbook and business directory. Who else? Public librarians and youth mentors, because the 34%-to-100% US map gap shows where voices are missing.
The line about textbooks replacing “slavery” with “unpaid laborer” stopped me cold. I remember sitting in a design history class where the only Black designer mentioned was a footnote, and I didn’t know enough to question it. Building a Great Diverse Designers textbook and a searchable archive of global design histories feels like the correction that’s long overdue. I’m glad the deadline and 500-profile goal are pushing urgency, not just talk.
This is such an inspiring initiative! It reminds me of playing kirby's block ball, where every small effort adds up to something great.