BeMore supportive during Black History Month
Here at urban, we believe that everyone should be able to strive in their careers without restrictions; we hold strong non-discriminative values and embrace our inclusive approach.
Focusing on one of our key values BeMore inclusive, we want both our clients and candidates to have a similar outlook.
“At urban we believe that everyone should be able to reach their full potential based on their skills and abilities, not their background.”
As it is Black History Month in the USA and Canada, we would like to highlight Shahed Saleem’s article “BFA works for pride, not prejudice, for black women architects”, a piece discussing four young black women who formed the organisation BFA (Black Females in Architecture).
The four all come from different careers but found that by sharing their similar experiences within a WhatsApp group, they discovered a joint sense of empowerment that focused on the inclusion of black women within their places of work.
Unfortunately, architecture has been an unreachable aspiration for many, as a 2006 DMCS report stated: ‘architects are 90% white, and 97.5% from more advantaged backgrounds.’ BFA originated through a friendship surrounding the experiences of black women within the work of architecture, and as these four share their approach, they invite others into the conversation to question and explore through social engagement and collaborations.
As part of urban’s commitment, we plan to assist those from disadvantaged backgrounds to succeed through the implementation of high impact programmes as a part of our work with the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust. These programmes enable and involve young people from under-represented groups to find their feet in architecture. This exciting new venture is set to launch in March – our journey begins with you!