Two Americas, One Future:
A Statement of Solidarity

Every day at evolveEA we are called to work for justice. We are called to help communities build a better future for themselves. It is clear now more than ever that we all have much work to do.

While the world is only just beginning to cope with the limitations and uncertainty of COVID-19, we are also in the midst of another pandemic—the continuous onslaught against Black spirits, Black bodies and Black life.
Black Americans have suffered too long at the hands of police brutality, mass incarceration, systemic discrimination, and economic oppression.
We know that racism among too many White people causes harm to African Americans and other people of color on a daily basis.
In this moment, our values compel us to stand in solidarity with the Black community, and intensify our work to create equitable and just communities.

It is not lost on us that Pittsburgh, our home, has more work to do than most US cities^1,2. We have many stories and studies full of data to prove it^3,4,5. We are failing our neighbors if we do not stand in solidarity with them in this moment, and always. We are failing them every day that we don’t work to change this reality.

As Architects, designers, climate activists, and human beings, we believe that cities are centers for democratic expression, and we must protect the rights and the physical safety of people expressing their grief and frustration.

At evolveEA, we think not only about the physical city; its design and its buildings, but also about our power structures, our economy, and our social networks: the People and Processes who are integral to every city and every Place. These systems must be continually evaluated and redesigned with and for people for whom the status quo is an oppressive reality. However the velocity of positive change has been too slow. In our professional capacities, we are privileged to be trusted advisors to communities large and small. We pledge to support accelerated change when it comes to the human rights crisis⁶ that we are in right now, while listening to oppressed communities and working with them to develop tools and share knowledge for lasting impact and durable community capacity.

We feel compelled to affirm:

It is right to grieve when yet another Black person is murdered by the police.

It is right to protest when accountability on the part of the police falls astonishingly short.

It is right to ask ourselves: “How will we, White Pittsburgh, create the change needed for a just and equitable city?”

It is right to call for justice from the systems of authority, whether that be access to economic opportunity, the criminal justice system, or our healthcare system.

We stand with the People of Minneapolis, and with Americans everywhere who are fed-up with racism and casual violence toward Black People in this country.

We stand with Black Pittsburgh in the struggle for a just city.

Rest In Power George Floyd.

In Solidarity,
evolve environment :: architecture

Christine Mondor, FAIA
Marc Mondor, AIA, LEED Fellow

Footnotes

1. https://www.publicsource.org/dozens-of-pittsburgh-residents-share-stories-of-racism-as-city-council-members-consider-declaring-it-a-public-health-crisis/
2. https://www.citylab.com/equity/2020/01/pittsburgh-racism-health-pollution-environmental-justice/603775/
3. https://triblive.com/local/pittsburgh-allegheny/racism-widespread-and-systematic-in-pittsburgh-experts-say/
4. https://www.citylab.com/equity/2020/01/best-cities-black-women/604384/
5. https://www.citylab.com/equity/2019/09/black-women-pittsburgh-mortality-poverty-racism-jobs-police/598291/
6. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/pittsburgh-worst-place-black-women_n_5dc5cb5ee4b0fcfb7f662842
7. https://blackallianceforpeace.com/bapstatements/2020/5/29/black-alliance-for-peace-calls-on-united-nations-to-address-human-rights-crisis-in-the-united-states