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ASLA Celebrates Black History Month

Howard University, Washington. D.C. campus designed by landscape architect David Williston >

Image credit: Howard University, Washington, D.C., 2010. Photo © Nikolaus Fogle, courtesy The Cultural Landscape Foundation.

ASLA celebrates African American landscape architects. David August Williston is a name little known today, even in the world of landscape architecture. Considered one of the trail blazers of the field and one of the first African American landscape architects, Williston designed some of the major campuses of historically African American colleges like Booker T. Washington’s Tuskegee Institute and Howard University in Washington, D.C. Learn more.   

ASLA Commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I)

Below are just a few ways ASLA demonstrates it commitment to fostering diversity, equity and inclusion within our profession, membership, and leadership; striving to mirror the communities we serve; welcoming and serving all people and communities; and treating them fairly and equitably.

• Diversity and Inclusion have been added to ASLA values and culture.

• Diversity statement: Mirroring the Nation: Landscape Architecture and the Future of the Profession. For the profession of landscape architecture to remain relevant and responsive, it must better represent the communities and people it serves. Greater diversity brings new perspectives and thought leadership, strengthens professional/community connections, and supports social equity.

ASLA Diversity in Action

The examples below reflect ASLA’s long-standing history of highlighting the contributions of African American landscape architects, making a concerted effort to promote the profession to groups traditionally-underrepresented in the field, supporting emerging professionals from diverse backgrounds, and capturing the experience and issues impacting African American and other vulnerable communities in its work.

•  Diversity Summit - Since 2013 ASLA has convened an annual diversity summit to strengthen its focus on the recruitment of minorities into academic programs and mentorship of minority students and practitioners.

• #iPledgeASLADiversity - During the 2018 Diversity Summit, attendees developed the iPledgeASLADiversity social media campaign as an opportunity to:
  • Share commitments to action made by Summit attendees,
  • Support ASLA’s strategic objective to Shape the Future of Landscape Architecture and Promote Diversity and Inclusion in the Profession,
  • Show ASLA members, firm leaders and others strategies to support or design diversity and inclusion efforts in their organizations, and
  • Highlight ASLA resources.
   Each week, the series features efforts made by Summit attendees on Twitter and Instagram. ASLA encourages its members and chapters to take the pledge, commit to diversity and inclusion, and share using #iPledgeASLADiversity.

Landscape Architecture Magazine

• Landscape Architecture Magazine (LAM) 1992 Special Edition African American Landscape Architects 

LAND 

• Diversity and Inclusion

THE DIRT  

• Gentrification and Displacement
• Inclusive Design

Past News: ASLA Celebrates Black History Month  

• ASLA Highlights Career Initiatives During Black History Month
• Black History Month a Time to Highlight ASLA's Diversity Initiative
• Black Landscapes Matter
• Celebrating Six Leaders of Landscape Architecture During African American History Month.
• Four Reasons Why ASLA is Celebrating Black History Month

 About Black History Month

Black History Month, also known as African-American History Month in the U.S., is an annual observance in Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It began as a way for remembering important people and events in the history of the African diaspora.

Meet the man who created Black History Month.