National Building Museum announces new EDI-focused discussion series INTERSECTIONS: Where Diversity, Equity and Design Meet

The National Building Museum has announced the creation of a new discussion series called INTERSECTIONS: Where Diversity, Equity and Design Meet that will bring leading Black voices to the museum to talk about EDI topics through the lens of design.

The program is a part of the museum’s special ongoing series Equity in the Built Environment and will include headliners like Mabel O. Wilson, Germane Barnes, Jonathan Moody, and Cory Henry in its three-month run from September 16th to December 14th. 

"Equity is an institutional Pillar of the Museum. We believe that design and construction are powerful tools that connect people to opportunity and empower communities to thrive," the museum’s president Aileen Fuchs said in a statement. "INTERSECTIONS provides a forum for engagement — great speakers, facilitated conversations, and fun social experiences that motivate participants to become informed community advocates in the D.C. metro region and beyond."

The series kicks off with OffTop Design Founder Demar Matthews, whose presentation will address “how architecture amplifies or silences perspectives and narratives and question if and how buildings, streets, and landscapes serve to affirm identity and define community.”

Other topics discussed will include the preservation of cultural landscapes in light of Harriet Tubman’s 200th birthday, an exploration of the work of artist Amanda Williams, a screening of Juan Luis Matos’ short film You Can Always Come Home, and an inspection of Wilson’s important Memorial for Enslaved Laborers project at the University of Virginia. 

Additional information can be found by following the link to the NBM’s website here.