MANIFESTA: EQUITY IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT AT UVA SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

ACCESS MANIFESTA'S FULL SET OF RESOURCES AND PROGRAMMING THROUGH THEIR WEB PLATFORM!

our manifestA:

manifestA is a collectively-led organization facilitated by students and open to all members of the A-School community (students, faculty, and staff)–past and present. We welcome participation from all disciplines, backgrounds, sexual orientations, genders (including trans and non-binary folx), ethnicities, races, and abilities. 

manifestA seeks to challenge the explicit and implicit inequities and biases that have been perpetuated within the allied design professions and the built environment. We acknowledge our professions’ complicity in creating and reinforcing unjust systems. manifestA stands against white supremacy and systemic racism. We stand with the Black Lives Matter movement in solidarity for the dignity, protection, and empowerment of Black, Indigenous, and Peoples of Color. manifestA is a platform to address these institutions of injustice as they intersect with design and the built environment. 

In alliance with the Inclusion + Equity Committee of the School of Architecture, the National Organization for Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS), A-School International Student Association (AISA), and others, we aim to foster meaningful conversations and educational programming that will strengthen the A-School community's ability to address issues of justice and equity in academic and professional work.

Join us in our commitment to listen, learn, and amplify the voices leading these conversations.

commitment:

We will:

• Hold our organization and larger institution accountable to continue to address injustice in the UVA School of Architecture guided by the Call to Action, which was led by A-School community members. 

• Work with partner organizations inside and outside the A-School to foster meaningful conversations, host educational programming, facilitate collaboration between different departments and in related fields, and serve as a connector to larger issues of inclusion + equity at the University of Virginia. 

• Share resources which promote dialogue about equity across the disciplines of the built environment.

programming: 

manifestA is committed to expanding the discourse of the A-School regarding equity and inclusion through various platforms including: 

• Syllabus Talks: 
  A regularly held reading group hosted by rotating faculty and community members to highlight their interests and create an opportunity for conversation between students and faculty

• Digital Resources Library:
  An evolving list of publicly accessible resources available on the web related to the built environment and centering BIPOC/ feminist/ LGBTQIA+/ international voices and concerns
  Access our Digital Resources: here

• Equity Library Book Share:
  A curated collection of books exploring various issues related to equity in the built environment is available to students, faculty, and staff of the A-School to borrow
  List of books available via the Equity Library Book Share: here

• Exhibitions
  An annual effort to more deeply explore issues of equity through a public exhibition to be hosted by the A-School

• Student Research Colloquium
  A forum for students from all years and disciplines to share and receive feedback on in-progress projects through an equity/racial justice lens

• Coordinated Programming
  Participation in the organization of shared events across A-School student groups including portfolio reviews, mentoring, and workshops

• Guest Lectures and Speakers
  Advocate for a diverse slate of lecturers, visiting faculty, reviewers, and guest critics reflecting the diverse demographics we wish to see in the discipline

manifestA is always open to input from current A-School students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Please reach out via email with your vision for how we can work towards more equitable design education and address issues of justice in the built environment at manifestauva@gmail.com. 

Follow us on Instagram, @manifesta_uva.