Opinion | Building diversity into the architectural profession

By Rafeeq Asad | guest column

It’s 2025 and here I am, writing about keeping DEI at the forefront of DEsIgn.

Let’s take a moment to set the scene. The clock has just struck midnight, it’s a brisk minus 12 degrees outside in Madison and it’s Black History Month. And I’m Black. Oh yeah, and I’m a designer — sometimes a good one.

Now that the scene is set, why are we discussing DEI in design? Is it simply because I wrote this in February, the month when we pause to reflect on our history and take pride in how far we’ve come? Or is it because, despite all the conversations, we’re still trapped in a paradigm where we must remind everyone that diversity, equity and inclusion aren’t just political buzzwords, but imperatives we must weave into the very fabric of our design practices?

Architecture is often regarded as one of the traditional fine arts, alongside painting, sculpture, music and poetry. These art forms are revered as the pinnacle expressions of human creativity, as they directly engage with life and thought, offering a powerful and immediate connection between the designer’s imagination and the visceral interpretation of the user or those that experience it.