Color Outside the Lines
Black women in the design industry have to work much harder to be recognized or noticed than others. Design is a powerful tool that allows us to express how we feel and what we think. Design portrays who we are, who we want to be, our values, and our way of life. It is a tool that can be used to represent not only who we are as an individual but as a community of people as well. However, there are communities unrepresented, unheard, or even dismissed in the design industry. People see them as “black” as a “woman” before they see the person in front of them as an architect, an artist, a designer, or a creator. Their talent and creativity are overshadowed by the fact that they are black women. The new perspectives that they could bring to the table, their own culture, sense of individuality, and representation of their community are minimized in trying to fit into this predominantly white field and its clients.
