Who We Are:

Our Story
The idea for the Assembly of Architects was created ast a casual lunch in the early 1990's between two newly acquainted individuals - Marilyn Porter, then manager for Captial Improvements and Infrastructire for the Metropolitan Transit Commission, and Francine Kola-Bankole, former Architect & Project Manager for INSPEC, an engineering/architect firm in Minneapolis.

Being professional women-of-color ina dominated male industry made them unique and novel, and so it was a curiosity to know if othrs, including professional men-of-color, were working within the Twin Cities. They knew if there were others out there, that "it would be important ot bring people to each other." They also felt that if they could formulate a professional group, "they could make a difference to affect changes within the communities they lived and served." It was evident both women that the decision makers who shaped their urban communities and neighborhoods were mainstream male professionals who werre not sensitve or aware of the lifestyles of the people who lived there. A new found purpose became defined over that lunch hour - Ms. Porter and Ms. Kola - Bankole need to find way of discovering if there wee othr professionals of color (specifically at that time, African Americans) who existed in the Twin Cities architectural community. Soon after that discussion, at the World Trade Center in St. Paul, 50 out of 100 professionals came together to meet and greet their colleagues for the first time.

The evolution of the Assembly of Architects ("AOA") moved from an informal networking group the the early infancy of a professional membership of 25 to 30 individuals representing various professionals of color, and different industry fims. It expanded form architects to include urban planners, designers, engineers, and other related fields, which categorically became known later in the industry as the "environmental design" profession.

Once these various design professionals came together, they could realize their dreams to partner and do outreach work with various community organizations including community development corporations, fooundations, museums and non-profit groups. They started working pro bono on issues and project that affected their community.

later realizing the number of professional of color were so limited in the field, the birth of a student outeach and ducation program component became another strategy for the Assembly of Architects. This gave the professional designers the opportunity to mentor high school and college students, and help them gain exposure or internships into their various organizations, which was unlike their own personal experiences when they graduated from college.

AOA also realized that raising awareness of career options and opportunities needed to be actively pursued fo the K-12 students who would otherwise choose fields more common to them like education, health, law, journalism, professionals sports, music or dance. Students were more apt to know about construction jobs vs. architects or urban planners. These professions are not on their radar because their school subjects and curricuum do not expose them to these areas. They usually discover these professions in college or trade schools, mostly by default, through classes like art history, science or math.

• The Assembly of Architects (Assembly), which was established in 1993, is a nonprofit organization consisting primarily of design professionals of color in the fields of architecture, urban planning and engineering.

• The Assembly fosters and promotes these professional fields within communities through strategic partnerships with local and national design associations, corporate entities and non-profit organizations. 

• The programs of Assembly are intended to evoke social awareness and engage communities, specifically youth, in the relevance of design and how it affects us all. 

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President’s Message:
First, I need to commend the Assembly of Architects’ Board of Directors and professional volunteers on their faithful dedication and commitment to our organization.  I’d also like to thank our community and corporate sponsors, and the many non-profit partnerships for collaborating with the Assembly of Architect volunteers on making positive changes for our communities in both Minneapolis and St. Paul.  Our joint ventures demonstrated the benefits of quality relationships achieving common goals.

Next, I’d like to take a moment to talk about quality.  Our organization is comprised of people-of-color engaged in the process of creating quality buildings, both locally and nationally. They are the most qualified professionals today participating in the design of education, healthcare, public and cultural institutions. They bring a unique cultural perspective to the design aspect of our urban communities. They represent business owners in minority business enterprises, partners and principals in majority firms, architects, designers, facility managers, construction managers, urban planners, developers, artists, educators and community activists.

I would also like to commend the Assembly for an extraordinary year in 2009.  We fulfilled our mission in a number areas:  1) continuing our platform of advocating for professionals of color 2) we furthered our mission by continuing to participate in career fairs and presenting to secondary students the benefits of entering the profession, the Assembly presented or had a booth at a number of inner city schools during the spring semester of the school year.

Finally, I have heard references to “we cannot find an architect-of-color” on several occasions.  I would like to state, unequivocally, there are over 30 professional partners in the Assembly of Architect, who represent the highest quality professionals of color in the region. They continue to leave a positive mark on our communities through their talents and creative contributions.  On that note, it is my hope that our work in the Assembly of Architects, which includes building talent and capacity, will change the perception of available personnel, and create many hiring opportunities for years to come.

My sincere and best wishes to each and every partner on your personal and professional pursuits.

Very truly yours,

Nathan Johnson