When talking about racism in the workplace in the U.S., we tend to think about the professional usual suspects: corporate businesses, law firms, academia. However, we tend to overlook that those same problems are found in city planning, fine arts, historic preservation, interior design, and landscape architecture. An upcoming conference on the subject caught our attention: Unspoken Borders, sponsored by PennDesign Black Student Alliance at the University of Pennsylvania. Taking place March 30 and 31, this conference aims to inspire discussions on the historical and current barriers that exist within the design professions by investigating the tangible and intangible effects of racism on various aspects of these professions, and how they affect existing boundary conditions within cities. In an effort to combine theory and practice, the conference will also facilitate a design competition for participants.

In light of recent events that highlighted the lack of thought to racial and socio-economic diversity in city planning (can we say the "rebuilding" of New Orleans), this conference could not have come at a better time. Racism affects every aspect of American life and it is surprising that dialogue centering on professions that literally shape our everyday life occurs so infrequently. PennDesign Black Student Alliance's goals are to have participants be cognizant of form, function, outcomes, and unintended effects of design, or lack thereof, on minority communities.

The two-day conference will include keynote speakers Walter Hood (landscape architect and principal of Hood Designs) and Mitchell Silver (director of Raleigh, North Carolina Department of City Planning and Raleigh Urban Design Center). The conference will take place at the University of Pennsylvania, School of Design and is a free event.

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