Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

[Serena Fenton <fents AT metalab.unc.edu>]

Please allow me to de-lurk and throw some kerosene on the flames.  I work (I 
think that's
what we do) with Uzi - I  haven't made it to any Internetworker events 
because of the usual
kid related issues, so I apologize for not meeting you folks first.

Architects have been looking at this same issue for about the past 8 years.  
The latest
report from the AIA (American Institute of Architects) is not good for 
minority job growth
in architecture (the quote below is from the middle of the article):

  http://www.e-architect.com/news/aiarchitect/sep99/gains.asp

"Percentage of African- Americans stays the same

 It may be too early to grasp the longer-term impact of the current
 economy on minorities, especially the opportunities that have
 been created for recent graduates such as Taylor. Yet, the gains
 for minority architects and architecture students over the past
 decade have primarily been for women, Asians, and Hispanics, but
 not African-Americans and American Indians. While there has
 been greater immigration in the Asian and Hispanic populations,
 this may not fully explain their better representation in the
 profession, especially as they still account for smaller portions of
 the U.S. population than African-Americans.

 For example, while the percentage of Hispanic architects is higher
 than that of Hispanic engineers, physicians, lawyers, and
 teachers, the percentage of African-American architects is lower
 than that of other professions, reports the U.S. Bureau of the
 Census. Across all professional specialties, the percentage of
 African-Americans is close to 8%, for engineers it is almost 4%,
 whereas for architects the figure is less than 2%. Furthermore, the
 percentage increase of African-American architects over 14 years,
 1983-97, is very modest (1.6% to 1.7%), among the smallest
 increase of all professions. For African-American teachers at
 colleges and universities the percentage increase over 14 years
 was greater (4.4% to 6.5%), as it was for African-American
 engineers (2.7% to 3.9%).

 ** (there is a graph at htis point)**
                        Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census,
                 Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1998


 "This is worse than it was, it is stagnation, we are going
 backwards," exclaims Marshall Purnell, FAIA, principal of
 Devrouax & Purnell Architects Planners PC in Washington, D.C.,
 and past president of the National Organization of Minority
 Architects (NOMA). He adds that "supply will meet demand, and
 if black architects cannot get work, there will not be many black
 students who find the profession attractive."

 "These numbers reflect what we are seeing and hearing, and we
 are extremely concerned about that," says William J. Davis Jr.,
 AIA, NOMA, principal of Davis Architects and Construction
 Managers in New York City, and current president of NOMA.
 Davis reports that the estimated number of African-American
 architects in the country is about 1,200 (including 103 women
 architects) and adds that this number has not changed
 significantly over the past 10 years. NOMA, with a membership of
 about 500, is trying to address this issue by training and
 supporting minority students and raising the visibility of minority
 architects."
-------------------------------------

In an attempt to ameliorate the situation, the AIA has introduced a number of 
programs in
the last five years, tied together by the AIA diversity program <
http://www.e-architect.com/pia/diversity/dc.asp  >.  People who are concerned 
might want to
look at thes outreach efforts.  One of their conclusions is : "Acting as a 
role model is
one of the best methods for widening the appeal of architecture."

For my 2 cents worth - I say, " get involved in helping a young person " - 
offer to speak
at a school career day, all Chapel Hill schools need mentors for mentoring 
programs,
volunteer at the community center to tuor in technology.

Have I thrown on enough kerosene yet?  Serena

--
Serena Fenton
metalab linux archive maintainer   -   http://metalab.unc.edu/pub/Linux/
fents AT metalab.unc.edu   -  or -   fents AT ils.unc.edu
http://ils.unc.edu/~fents