Episodes

In this episode, I talk with Constance "Connie" Lai about being an architect and a woman working in the preservation trades and construction field. We talk about professional differences she observed while completing her Richard Morris Hunt Fellowship in France and the importance of valuing the impact of tradespeople on the built environment. It's a great conversation that explores the impact of builders on the built environment and different ways to problem solve people & construction problems....

This episode features a conversation with Sarah Marsom. We cover ways to make the preservation field more accessible, the impetus behind her Dismantle Preservation Conference and the importance of getting paid. Quote: "We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color." - Dr. Maya Angelou Links: Dismantle Preservation Unconference landing page Dismantle Preservation 40 Und...

This episode features a conversation between me and Real Estate entrepreneur, Patricia Ofori. We talk about her journey of getting started in real estate, repurposing buildings, and the importance of knowing the process of getting a deal off the ground. Quote: "You can't be what you can't see." - Marian Wright Edelman Bio: Patricia Ofori Patricia Ofori is a real estate entrepreneur who uses physical spaces to foster community, creativity, and collaboration. Her boutique firm Ofori & Co. sp...

**Some of the links above may be Amazon affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you.** This episode features some of my favorite things from 2020. Quote: "One ever feels his twoness - an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder." - W.E.B. Du Bois Links: Favorite ...

This episode features a conversation with Professor Amber Wiley. She is an old friend who is an Assistant Professor in the Art History Department at Rutgers University and a scholar who has traveled the world studying culture. Quote: "The Civil Rights movement didn't begin in Montgomery and it didn't end in the 1960s. It continues on to this very minute." - Julian Bond Timestamps: 13:34 - Guatemala 17:36 - Africa (Ghana & Ethiopia) 20:20 - Being called a 'white person' in Africa 24:14 - Indi...

**EPISODE CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE** This episode features a conversation with Germaine Joseph with the Saint Lucia National Trust. We talk about heritage and preservation, colonialism, colorism, climate change, tourism, and the importance of telling multiple narratives. Quote: “Break a vase, and the love that reassembles the fragments is stronger than that love which took its symmetry for granted when it was whole.” ― Sir Derek Walcott Links: Saint Lucia National Trust Saint Lucia Touris...

This episode features a conversation with Architect, Rasheda Tripp, and Developer, Morgan C.B. Miles. They were the only other two black women in my graduating architecture class at UVA and have been dear friends of mine for almost 20 years. We talk about our careers, what brought us to architecture and how we navigate white, male spaces as black women. Quote: "The function, the very serious function of racism is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over and ...

**EPISODE CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE** This episode features a conversation I had with Melissa R. Daniel of the Archispolly podcast. We cover a range of topics from safety in the built environment to the impacts on mentor had on her life. Melissa R. Daniel is an architectural designer in Washington DC and the creator and host of the Architecture is Political podcast, a podcast where Black and Brown folks have a conversation about architecture. She served as executive co-chair of the 2017 AIA W...

This episode is a condensed version of the Race and Preservation conversation I had with Brent Leggs from the National Trust for Historic Preservation on the Quinn Evans Queries & Theories webcast. Links: UVA Memorial to Enslaved Workers National Trust for Historic Preservation's African American Culture Heritage Action Fund Rosenwald Schools Madame C.J. Walker's Villa Lewaro 'Other People's Secrets' album by Sarah Gilberg Quote of the week: "History is no longer a spotlight. We are turning up...

This episode explores how the Color of Law expanded my knowledge of Levittown and things we didn't learn in architecture school, FHA discrimination and family connections. Links to a few resources mentioned in the show: Color of Law book Color of Compromise book Designing the We Prologue DC Other People's Secrets album by Sarah Gilberg Quote of the week: "If you're going to clean the house, you have to see the dirt" - Louise Hay Some of the links above are Amazon affiliate links, which ...

This episode explores the intentionality of design decisions. From selecting the color of flesh-colored bandaides, to designing colored bathrooms or locating confederate statues, design is not neutral. Links: Actual flesh-colored bandaids: https://trucolourbandages.com/ Timeline of White Supremacy: https://medium.com/the-new-standard/black-history-a-history-of-permanent-white-oppression-from-1619-to-2016-8bcfa38dfce Other People's Secrets album by Sarah Gilberg Quote of the week: “Preserva...

The introductory episode that explores the interconnectedness of architecture, preservation, sustainability, race, and gender.