Just as we shape our spaces, they too, shape us.
WE ABSOLUTELY AND UNEQUIVOCALLY STAND IN OPPOSITION TO SYSTEMIC RACISM AND ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST BLACK, INDIGENOUS, AND PEOPLE OF COLOR.
The death of yet another Black American at the hands of the police has shaken the whole nation, and indeed the whole world. The historic and deeply entrenched systemic discrepancies in our society have come to the foreground of our consciousness and are no longer bearable. We have been made aware of this complex reality which has become intolerable and we are actively speaking out and taking steps to stop it. This reaches to the core of who we are as human beings in the 21st century. against people of color is, of course, only one aspect of the problem; racism seeps through all threads of our culture and society. We all need to take another look at how we live and work.
We are committed to participate in making a cultural shift to become actively anti-racist in both our personal and professional lives.
In our profession, we have seen too few fellow students, too few instructors, too few colleagues in design fields, and even fewer clients of color. We believe that it is our responsibility to change this picture. We are not only deeply disturbed by the systemic inequalities and outraged by the killings, we are also very, very hopeful that real change has a chance this time around. It will not be overnight, but we are resolute to demand change and we are in for the long haul.
BASE is committed to the following:
-
We recognize that our network grants us access to influence. As a first step, we commit to an ongoing mentorship program with our friends at Seven Tepees Youth Program in Ohlone territory in San Francisco’s Mission District in order to make our network accessible to youth of diverse educational and racial backgrounds who are not often granted access to these channels of power.
-
We will continue educating landscape architecture students and young professionals about equity in public spaces and their importance for civic expression.
-
We will continue offering pro bono services to our local communities.
-
We will acknowledge the native land and people of every project we work on.
-
We will offer financial support to an organization doing work in racial/environmental justice. Every year we will decide as a team which organization will get these funds.
-
We will vote for those public office representatives who stand for tolerance, inclusion, and fairness.
-
We will continue the conversation in our studio, particularly in terms of identifying other concrete practices we can integrate into our work toward a racially just society.