December 1, 2016
Now that I have read with great incredulity AIA CEO Robert Ivy's letter offering to cooperate with President Elect Donald Trump, I can register my vehement opposition to what he wrote. Robert Ivy spoke for 89,000 minus 1 of the membership as far as I am concerned. Robert Ivy clearly shows that he is not in very close touch with our membership and how we might respond to this matter. Even though some small minority of the AIA membership just might agree with Robert Ivy’s message.
The President Elect has made it very clear that he wants to build a wall along our borders [presumably our southern boarders] as if such a structure would prevent refugees, guest workers, asylum seekers, or anybody else from entering the United States against our will. That leaves our western, northern, and eastern borders exposed. Must walls be built along those borders, too? Or, must we use that infrastructure money talked about to design and build a glass dome over the United States to keep out every conceivable undesirable? You get the point?
A small but extremely vocal contingent of Trump supporters have shown up on national television news and radio clearly articulating their desire to “restore” a white nationalist, Euro-centric United States. The President Elect has yet to speak out in any meaningful way about their ascendancy onto the public stage. The President Elects’ selection to his cabinet of Jeff Sessions, General Michael Flynn and Stephen Bannon demonstrate even more vividly his willingness to embrace bigots and misogynists in his administration.
"What have you got to lose?"
AIA has been a white male dominated profession for decades. In its hay-day class and social status mattered and still does today even if some of our number are reluctant to admit it. My uncle, who was a life-long construction worker, told me that I should choose a profession other than architecture, because I was black and white people [sic], who have and control all of the money would never hire me to do anything except sweep their floors. Unfortunately, he did not live long enough to witness my graduation from a prominent university with my degrees in architecture and architectural engineering; the passing of my licensing examination and my career as a practicing architect. My accomplishments, however, have been and still are beset by subtle hurdles that many of my white colleagues don’t have to face. Victoria Kaplan cites some of those challenges in her book, “Structural Inequality: Black Architects in the United States.” She writes about the many structural inequalities that black architects face every day in their practices and lives.
So here we are in the twenty first century. Technology is shrinking the Earth and globalization is forcing the United States to look beyond its borders to compete for business. Climate change is forcing everyone on Earth to cooperate and collaborate with each other. We are even working on a project to land humans on Mars. Old paradigms that segregated people by race, class, sex, religion and social status are irrational, immoral, and, quite frankly, obsolete now. They need to pitched into the trash can of bad history.
Unfortunately, Robert Ivy’s message to the president elect was his natural impulse to pay homage to power: the most prominent symbol of a [perceived] dominate, moneyed-class figure (the next president of the United States). It is not always [but should be] so evident that we need not and should not ever bow down to nor be servants to any egomaniacal, bigoted, misogynistic symbols of power; not even those of President Elect Donald Trump.
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Walter L. Wilson FAIA
Glendale WI
Original Message:
Sent: 11-30-2016 09:12
From: Sally Grans-Korsh
Subject: Robert Ivy should resign...
We need to have a positive letter from the AIA on the impressive benefits Architects offer as thought leaders in the environment. Why is not the Public Architects Committee proposing such a vision statement? MANY architects within government may have their positions removed due to proposed administration cuts - -- we should be proactive NOW.
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Sally Grans-Korsh FAIA
National Association of College and University Business Offices
Washington DC
Original Message:
Sent: 11-23-2016 12:43
From: John Egan
Subject: Robert Ivy should resign...
The recent flap over our CEO Robert Ivy's letter to President Elect Trump shows a lack of understanding regarding our Institute's commitment to Diversity and Inclusion. The Board has been a strong advocate of this issue and the incoming administration needs to be reminded of the AIA's commitment regarding the inclusion of Women and Minorities in EVERY aspect of our society. Either Ivy needs to resign or write another letter to the President Elect reminding him of our Institute's commitment to Diversity and Inclusion.
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John Egan AIA
Project Officer
National Institutes of Health / Office of Research Facilities
Springfield VA
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