Our hearts are heavy. Van Alen Institute stands in solidarity with protestors demanding an end to anti-Black police violence and structural racism. We also recognize that words are not enough. We will be making a contribution to The Bail Project in support of arrested protestors, and we encourage our peers to do the same. For a list of other anti-racist resources, click here.

While good design is rooted in idealism and empathy, the design field can reflect and perpetuate our country’s deep inequities. We lift up this statement from NOMA (National Organization of Minority Architects): “As architects, how can we protect the health, safety and welfare of the public if our country is not properly including Black Americans as full members of our society?” As an architecture-centric organization, we commit to asking ourselves this every day and pursuing work grounded in radical listening and in service of healing solutions.

Read more here.