2019 BWA Brunch attendees Photo by Harry Connolly
Number of Living, licensed African-American Women Architects Tops 500
Washington, DC – On October 18, 2020, the Directory of African American Architects (blackarchitect.us) added its 500th living, licensed African-American woman architect. African-American women make-up only 0.4% of the over 116,000 licensed architects in the United States.
The National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) relaunched the directory in 2020 and manages the database, a responsibility formerly performed by the Center for the Study of Practice at the University of Cincinnati since its inception. The directory was originally published as a book by professors Brad Grant and Dennis Mann in 1991.
The milestone was marked by the Black Women in Architecture Network which held its annual brunch on the same day. The virtual event provided a venue for over 100 Black women and others to celebrate and encourage participants to continue the collaborative effort to increase the number.
“Reaching this milestone is one of the most significant in the history of American architecture,” said Kathryn T. Prigmore, FAIA, NOMAC, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, CDT, founding collaborator of Riding the Vortex: African American Women in Architecture and Related Professions. “African-American architects practice in all aspects of the profession including at the pinnacle of some of the world’s most well-known and respected firms.”
Imani Dixon AIA, NOMA, one of the newly licensed architects, said, “It’s such an honor to be among a group of Black women who have surpassed so many obstacles to achieve licensure. Our collective experiences as Black women, minorities of both gender and race in the profession, have allowed for us to produce a strong network that has transcended physical boundaries for old and new generations of Black women architects. To now be part of the group that can pay it forward is so humbling. The support has been incredible and I’m eager to continue to grow beyond 500!”
NOMA anticipates celebrating this milestone with an in-person event as part of the 50th-anniversary celebration conference in Detroit in October 2021.
About Directory of African American Architects
The Directory of African American Architects is maintained as a public service to promote an awareness of who African American architects are and where they are located. The sole qualification for listing is licensure in one of the fifty US jurisdictions and their territories. Architects are added to the directory by self-reporting when they have earned their first US license and this information is confirmed by Directory personnel.
About Black Women in Architecture Network
The Black Women in Architecture Network evolved out of Riding the Vortex, a forum founded with the mission of increasing the number of licensed African American women architects and of elevating the voices of young women in or pursuing the profession. The Network seeks to uplift these women and provide support and resources for Black women practicing in architecture and other design professions.
Bwa-network.com
About the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA):
The National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) was formed nearly 50 years ago to represent the needs of African American architects. Today, NOMA is a haven for architects of all origins who seek inclusion in the design industry. NOMA continues to advocate for the licensure of African American architects (who account for only two percent of all licensed architects today), as well as those from other underrepresented backgrounds. NOMA has 30 professional chapters across the U.S. and 80 student chapters in schools across the U.S. and Canada. National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS) are mentored by regional NOMA chapters. NOMA.net