The 2021 BWA Brunch was an amazing gathering of over 60+ Black women architects and supporters. We held a virtual program and had some wonderful firms and individuals that hosted in-person watch parties.
First-time BWA Brunch attendee, Linda Clark, wrote the following recap and perspective of the 2021 BWA Brunch.
Black Women in Architecture Brunch 2021
Linda Clark
Throughout my educational and professional career in the building industry, I have always been a minority, and in most cases one of two, but more commonly the only black woman in my architecture classes or firms. So being able to join a community of other black woman architects connecting over shared experiences and a common mission to help create more representation and exposure in the architectural community is an invaluable experience. I was honored to share this experience with so many black woman architects, locally in the DC area, but also nationally with the virtual platform that was used this year.
Listening to one of the women speak about her struggles with testing for the ARE’s reminded me of my journey to licensure. There was one exam that I struggled with and took 3 times, which was so disheartening, however I didn’t let that dissuade me. That was the last exam of the seven tests I passed to become a registered architect in 2016. Once I completed the ARE’s, I moved to my next goal, which was passing the NCIDQ. All in all, I spent three years testing, two years dedicated to my ARE’s and one year focusing on my NCIDQ.
Some of the other common themes discussed that resonated with me were discovering a passion to create more exposure for black students to architecture, increasing the number of black woman architects in the industry, and finding a new professional goal after licensure. Getting licensed in architecture and interior design was at the top of my professional goals. Once I completed my exams and gained my licenses, my focus shifted to how I could give back, so I started mentoring high school and college students interested in architecture. A couple of years ago I started contemplating how I could help with the goal of increasing exposure, and expanding my reach beyond the select but rewarding mentorships I nurtured. Through this journey, I started a non-profit organization whose mission was to create more exposure of minority students to S.T.E.A.M. related fields like architecture through creative problem-solving workshops and celebrating minority representation in various STEAM fields. Meeting other women who share similar goals for our community in the industry is one of the many highlights of attending this year’s Black Women in Architecture Brunch and it helped to reinvigorate my passion to do more with the nonprofit organization I established. I’m excited to have found this community and looking forward to more events and brunches in the future.