Harvard’s inaugural Black in Design conference will unfold over October 9 to 10 at the Graduate School of Design, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Organized by the school’s African American Student Union, the conference is dedicated to addressing social justice via design and celebrates design contributions from African descendants. A lineup of conversations will be presented by industry leaders like Jeanine Hays, Bryan Mason, Amber N. Wiley, Dan D’Oca, Diane Davis, Euneika Rogers-Sipp, Frank Christopher Lee, and Fred Opie, among others.
As Hays, co-founder of AphroChic with husband Mason, shares with EAL, “This event is monumental and long overdue. For black designers, we have been invisible within the field. We receive very little acknowledgment of our work and many times it feels as we if don't exist. But what makes this program so wonderful is that it is not only about creating a space for designers of color who have long been ignored in the mainstream, but also about providing inspiration and practical knowledge to the next generation of black designers.” She continues, “It's the focus on the future and making space for a new generation of black designers that intrigued Bryan and I the most when we were asked to present. The Black in Design Conference created by Harvard students shows us that the future is very bright when it comes to increasing diversity in the field.”
Register for the conference.
