What started as a student-led organization at Georgia Tech is marking a milestone this year. In the 1970s, The National Organization of Minority Architects sprang from the students’ desire to create connections among underrepresented professionals, and that energy eventually led to the formation of a local chapter. Initially known as the Design Collaborative, NOMA’s Atlanta chapter was officially launched 40 years ago.
“From very early on, we wanted to get minority architects and their firms to be part of a network that impacts the minority community,” said Ralph Raymond, the chapter’s past president and an architect with the global design and engineering firm HOK. “During the Olympics, there was a push to have developments assisted by minority architects, and a lot of that was being a voice for the people in the impacted neighborhoods.”
Supporting the community has been a hallmark of the chapter’s work, said President Tulia Scott who works for the African American owned design firm Moody Nolan.
“Many of our members are involved in advocacy for minority architects,” she said. “We start each with on MLK Day with a day of service.”
The chapter’s 118 members also support students at Tech, Kennesaw State, SCAD and Tuskegee who are interested in the profession. Through partnerships with groups such as the National Association of Women in Construction, the Equity in Architecture commission of the American Institute of Architects and the National Association of Black Women in Construction, the chapter fans out to classrooms to talk to students about careers in architecture. For members, it hosts continuing education workshops.
NOMA members also run a three-day summer camp at Tech that introduces students in grades six through 12 to the field.
“They meet architects who teach them how to create and design something of their own,” said Raymond. “We also include tours of multiple firms in downtown and Midtown so they can see what studio culture is like.”
On Nov. 1, NOMA will host a free, public anniversary celebration at the Atlanta City Hall atrium that will highlight its past and focus on the future.
“That focus is being good champions of diversity in our industry and profession, and making sure we’re reflective of the community and nurturing the next generation of architects,” said Scott. “Many young people leave because of the challenges; we want to keep them in the profession and support them as they advance in their careers.”
Information about NOMA is online at noma.net/atlanta.
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