Anzilla Gilmore's passion for architecture manifests itself through service. When she graduated from Prairie View A&M University in the late 90’s, she entered a profession where very few people looked like her. She felt the lack of representation acutely and decided to take action to ensure that no black female that came after her would want for lack of representation. Gilmore has dedicated herself to professional mentorship, community outreach and professional service through leadership in prof...

Please note that this Desiree V. Cooper (DVC) Memorial Scholarship Foundation is not the same as the Architects Foundation Desiree V. Cooper Memorial Fund. (Confusing… I know). Desiree was one of my dearest friends until she tragically passed away a couple of years ago. 2021 will be the fourth year of the Desiree V. Cooper (DVC) Memorial Scholarship offering assistance to those taking the architect registration exam. It seeks to honor the life and legacy of Desiree V. Cooper by championing the t...

Primaverarch is a grassroots organization committed to stimulating change for the recognition of women in architecture and related fields. Inspired by the renaissance era and the symbolic idea of spring, Primaverarch is a movement of rebirth, revival, and renewal. Primaverarch is created by four minority-women who recently graduated from the Spitzer School of Architecture at the City College of New York. Throughout their studies, they experienced a lack of professional support, mentorship, and r...

Devanne Pena ("Dev-in Pee-nuh") is an Architect Entrepreneur. She is proud to be among the first 400 African American women living history to be licensed to practice architecture. A fourth generation Cape Verdean, Devanne conducted independent research in her native West African islands to define future architectural service for the culture. She is the owner of a design consultancy, Archidev LLC, and this year founded a start-up called AFROSPACE. Creating resilient and protective space for black...

Sam Smith is a writer, activist and social critic who has been at the forefront of new ideas and new politics for more than five decades. He covered Washington under nine presidents, edited the Progressive Review for over 50 years, wrote four books, helped to start six organizations including the national Green Party, the DC Humanities Council and the DC Statehood Party. In this episode, we talked about urban renewal and if architectural is political. Become an insider by supporting the show at ...

Here is a rebroadcast of my interview with Tangible Remnants, a podcast that explores the interconnectedness of architecture, historic preservation, sustainability, race & gender. Host Nakita Reed and I met at a women in architecture event years ago. Check out Tangible Remnants on Apple & Spotify Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TangibleRemnants/

Derrick Ward is a general assignment reporter for News4. A native of the District of Columbia, Ward grew up in Marshall Heights and the H Street Corridor in Northeast. He lived through the 1968 riots and documented his experiences on News4 as part of the station's 40th anniversary coverage. Ward attended HD Woodson High School and the University of Maryland. Ward's journalism career began in radio. He worked for WPFW, WAMU and WTOP, covering major stories such as the Iran-Contra hearings, the Se...

Shelly-Anne Tulia Scot, AIA and Shani Chambers, AIA are both graduated from the Caribbean School of Architecture and graduated from Florida A&M University. In this episode, they share their Caribbean experiences, culture shock and racism. Become an insider by supporting the show at https://glow.fm/archispolly where you can support the show on a recurring or one-time basis! Shani Chambers is a Virginia based architect with over 15 years’ experience in the planning, design and construction indus...

No intro music, no fancy mic, just a cellphone and recording app. This episode discusses current events, personal journey and podcast updates.

Janelle Brookes and Ethan Perrotte are a couple of black architecture students from Canada. They created POC Architecture to support architecture projects done by people of colour. During the course of their education, Janelle and Ethan noticed a lack of architecture projects from people of colour being taught. As a result, POC Architecture Instagram page was created to promote diversity in the field of architecture. On the POC website, they create access of important resources for architecture ...

Black In Architecture is a hashtag to amplify the voices of Black/Black British architectural professionals and students in the UK. It is also a black-led research initiative, proposing a new approach to achieving racial justice and ending structural racism and inequity in architecture. This is a start in defining the changes that we, as black people, want to demand in architecture and across the various dimensions of the profession - in education, practice, recruitment, professional memberships...

Muslim Women in Architecture (MWA) is a network and collective working to empower, inspire and celebrate Muslim women in the architecture and built environment industry. In this episode, I talk to Tahin Khan, Zahra Mansoor and Rim Kalsoum about MWA as it aims to provide a platform to not only support Muslim girls and women who want to pursue a career in the field, but to encourage an open discussion amongst those within the profession and outside. Tahin Khan is a British Bangladeshi Part 2 Ar...

In this episode, Melissa shares her thoughts about the recent events involving black lives and Call to Action to Starchitect (celebrity architect) professionals. Become an insider by supporting the show at https://glow.fm/archispolly where you can support the show on a recurring or one-time basis!

Become an insider by supporting the show at https://glow.fm/archispolly where you can support the show on a recurring or one-time basis! Amber Wiley is an Assistant Professor of Art History at Rutgers University. She provided insight on Tyler House neighboring areas like LeDriot Park and Dunbar High School. Born in Oklahoma, Wiley recalls visiting her grandfather in DC which set the foundation of her future works. Professor Wiley research interests center on the social aspects of design and h...

In this episode, we talk to G.P. Jacob (Jake Virden) about his podcast, Money. Power. Land. Solidarity. We discussed economic and urban development, politics, race, the working-class and the Upper Harbor Terminal Development, a project slated for North Minneapolis' riverfront. Jake Virden is an artist, practitioner of popular education and host of the Money Power Land Solidarity podcast.. Check out the Money Power Land Solidarity podcast on Patreon at: Patreon.com/MoneyPowerLandSolidarity ...

Rapid changes in the aesthetics of a community you grew up in has lasting effects. Some study architecture, some create podcast and others write an essay. Meet Amber Delgado (non-architect); a writer and filmmaker from Fayetteville, North Carolina. In this episode, we talk about gentrification and architecture. Amber Delgado received her BFA in film/media production and BA in art history from East Carolina University. Approaching her filmmaking and research through a Black feminist lens, Ambe...

In the episode, we discuss mapping public housing and the displacement of blacks in the district. We also talked about Northwest One and architecture. Sarah Jane Shoenfeld is an independent scholar and public historian. She co-directs the project Mapping Segregation in Washington DC, which is documenting the former extent of racially restricted housing in the nation's capital along with other historic mechanisms of segregation and displacement. Sarah's company, Prologue DC, engages in a varie...

Sarah Akigbogun is a London-based transdisciplinary practitioner and educator. An architect, filmmaker and writer, she is founder of Studio Aki London and theatre collective Appropri8, which seeks to work with communities to activate disused urban sites. Sarah is passionate about diversity within architecture and is Vice Chair of Women in Architecture UK and founder of the XXAOC project. In 2017 she directed the film She Draws : She Builds, which collates the voices of 15 female architects. Trai...

Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, Ebehi Ijewere always had an innate passion for design, color, materials, and crafts. After graduation, Ebehi found that there was no space where she could listen to experiences from designers of color so she started a design podcast, Layers of Design. She also uses her platform to amplify the voices of African architects as well as participate in meaningful design competitions that look to solve social and humanitarian problems through architecture. Listen t...

Architecture students across the country are denouncing systemic racism in academia. I spoke to Malika Yansaneh and Kelsey Mitchell , members of National Organization of Minority Architects Student (NOMAS) Chapter at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), about the lack of diversity in architectural history, the NAAB statement on racial injustice, student life at Rensselaer as well as the pandemic. At the time of this recording, both women are pursuing a Bachelor of Architecture degree at RPI. ...

Architecture is Political Podcast had the honor of hosting Houston NOMA (National Organization of Minority Architects) Happy Hour Series. In this episode, we explore ‘How Architecture is Political’ in the current climate. Special thanks to Mona Elamin and Antoine Bryant of Houston NOMA for making this event possible. To support NOMA National, go to https://membership.noma.net/donations/ for more information. To become a NOMA member, go to https://membership.noma.net/ for more information.

In this episode, the host talks about her love/hate relationship with the AIA and the controversies with their most recent statements about the protest and prison design. Check out the newest link: https://www.archispolly.online/dope-videos-1 Become an insider by supporting the show at https://glow.fm/archispolly where you can support the show on a recurring or one-time basis!

In this episode, Melissa extends the Pandemic Floss series due to recent global protests. She reflects on the written responses from architecture firms and allied organizations and how to cope in a work environment when you are the only black/brown person. Become an insider by supporting the show at https://glow.fm/archispolly where you can support the show on a recurring or one-time basis!

My friendships with Nakita Reed AIA, April Drake AIA, and Morina Peterson are decades old. I got the band back together to discuss working from home, returning to the office and density. Nakita Reed is an award-winning architect with experience throughout the Mid-Atlantic. She is skilled in the preservation, restoration, and adaptive use of historic buildings, with a focus on sustainable strategies in design and construction. She has a Master of Architecture and a Master of Science in Histori...