Justice x Architecture

 

“Later I came to realize the contradictions that existed in my world. That I came from an isolated area where lies were being confronted with the truth. That I came from the American South which was attached to fiction and false values and a willingness to justify cruelty and injustice in the name of those values”.

-Sam Mockbee, 1998

It is crazy to me how these words written by Sam Mockbee over 20 years ago, are still so relevant today. Our country is crying out for action and change. Social injustice is the United States, and even though a lot has changed since the Civil War, the country has a lot more growth and learning to do.

So why does this matter for architecture students and future professionals? Mockbee states that “Architects are by nature and pursuit, leaders and teachers”, and for me this means that as architects we must acknowledge our role and the contribution we must make in society. Last semester while studying in Charleston, I was taking a studio directed by Ray Huff titled, “Memorials, Monuments, Meaning” or some combination of those words. This was the first time that a studio was so closely connected to what is happening in the United States currently. The challenge was to recontextualize confederate monuments considering what happened over the summer, where we saw protests and a movement after the murder of George Floyd. Although a very challenging studio I think it was so important for myself as a soon to be graduate, now being aware the correlation between architecture in this social environment.

Why can’t we make these decisions and be apart of this conversation?