Table of Contents

The Earth, the City, and the Hidden Narrative of Race:
Discovering New Foundations
for the Great Work of Our Time


INTRODUCTION

ORIGINS
Lewie Taking Harlem Kids to See the Solar Eclipse
Third Grade with Mrs. Aikens
What Is Missing in the New Story?
The Story
A New Vision for the City

PART ONE: MY LIFE AND WORK

CHAPTER 1: GROWING UP IN A DYING CITY
Getting By in the City
Our New Neighborhood
Attending an Integrated Elementary School
My Passion for City Planning
Walking in the City
Driving While Black
Navigating Wonder and Shadow
Shame
Losing Hope
Attending Dobbins Vocational School
Leaving Home
First Exposure to the Segregated South

CHAPTER 2: FINDING MENTORS
Learning to Recognize Resources with Karl Linn
A New Appreciation of the Natural World
Building Neighborhood Commons
A Social Agenda in Architecture
Discovering James Baldwin
Encountering Lewis Mumford
Igniting My Passion for Architectural History
Coming of Age in a Segregated City

CHAPTER 3: MOVING TO NEW YORK CITY
Gaining a Sense of Place
Joining the Civil Rights Movement
Poised on the Racial Divide
The Message of Malcolm X
Corresponding with James Baldwin
Uncovering the Hidden Narrative of Race
My Involvement in Civil Rights Struggles
Cultural and Political Inspirations
Michaux’s Bookstore
Learning about Ancient Africa
Family Changes
Meeting Jean
Joining the Community Design Movement
Creating a Neighborhood Commons in Harlem
Partnering with Jean
Civil Rights in the News
Poised on the Racial Divide

CHAPTER 4: COLUMBIA ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL
Professors and Curriculum
From the Studio to the Streets
Experimental Professional Projects
My Experience at Columbia: A Mixed Bag
Political Leadership in Architecture
Wrapping Up at Columbia
Growing Interest in African Settlements
After Graduation, Next Steps

CHAPTER 5: JOURNEY TO WEST AFRICA
Starting the Journey
A Beginner’s Mind
Our Itinerary
Community Participation in Building Cities of the Middle Niger
A Dogon Village
Anthropomorphic Layout of Dogon Buildings
The Rainy Season in West Africa
Insights about African Architecture and Human Settlements
Reflections on Our African Travels
Return to the States

CHAPTER 6: DISCOVERING THE HIDDEN NARRATIVE OF RACE
The Place of Africans in Architectural History
Looking Back at Slavery Times
The Plantation as Precursor to Industrialization
African Contributions to American Architecture
Social Dimensions of Plantation Architecture

CHAPTER 7: TEACHING, RESEARCH AND PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
Moving to Berkeley
Teaching at UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design
Influential Urban-Planning Theoreticians
Tracking Innovations in Architecture and Planning
Family Matters
Hosting James Baldwin for a Month
Attempting to Introduce New Course Material on the Landscape of Freedom
Professional Practice From Architecture to City Planning
Deindustrialization and Plant Closure Conversions
Finding Meaning in Work

PART TWO: FINDING A NEW STORY

CHAPTER 8: MY SEARCH FOR A LARGER STORY
Planning the Berkeley Waterfront Redesign
Fragmentation of the African American Community
My Moment of Truth
Places for Peace
Toward a New Story for African Americans
Telling the Story of African Americans

CHAPTER 9: DEEP TIME, SLAVERY, AND THE MAKING OF THE MODERN ECONOMIC SYSTEM
Human History Begins in Africa
Ancient and Medieval African Cultures
Deconstructing Europe’s Rise to Dominance
The Columbian Exchange and the Global Economy
Cities Shaped by the Atlantic Slave Trade Slavery and the Modern Economic System

CHAPTER 10: THE LANDSCAPE OF FREEDOM
Abolition
Emancipation
The Hope of Reconstruction
New Methods of Forced Labor
The Black Agrarian Movement
The Great Migration

CHAPTER 11: THE CITY AT THE CROSSROADS
The Racialization of Space
Suburban Sprawl and Inner-city Abandonment
The Kerner Commission Report
A Demographic Shift
The Sustainability Revolution

PART THREE: SOLUTIONS

CHAPTER 12: FORGING A NEW ALLIANCE
BETWEEN THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL JUSTICE MOVEMENTS
Joining Earth Island Institute
Positioning People of Color in the Environmental Movement
Creating the Urban Habitat Program
Protecting Jobs and the Environment in West Berkeley
The Environmental Justice Movement
The Race, Poverty and the Environment Journal
Reaching Out to People-of-Color
Communities Understanding the Metropolitan Region
Transportation
Justice
Military Base Conversions
Urban Habitat Leadership Institute
Revisiting Academia
Leaving Earth Island
Forming the Social Equity Caucus
Leaving Urban Habitat
A New Opportunity for Collaboration
Next Steps for the Urban Habitat Program

CHAPTER 13: LAYING THE GROUNDWORK
FOR A NATIONAL MOVEMENT FOR REGIONAL EQUITY
Recruited by the Ford Foundation
Back to New York
Ford Foundation’s Change of Direction
The Need for a Smart and Equitable Regional Perspective
A Culture of Collaboration at Ford
Grantmaking for the Sustainable Metropolitan Communities Initiative (SMCI)
Philanthropic Organizations
Regional Equity Advocates
African Americans and Other Communities of Color
Regional Equity Demonstration Projects
Community Organizing Groups
Community Development Corporations (CDCs)
Organized Labor
Farm and School Alliance
Cities Facing Abandonment
Solidifying the Movement: Communications and the Learning Community
Urbanization as a Global Trend
Global Climate Change Comes Home
Concluding Thoughts

CHAPTER 14: PLANNING HEALTHY AND JUST COMMUNITIES FOR ALL
IN THE AGE OF GLOBAL WARMING
Starting Breakthrough Communities
Next Steps
Organizing for Climate Justice in California
Political Opportunity, Mobilizing Structures, and Framing the Issues
Designing Healthy and Just Communities: the Six Wins Campaign
Ending Suburban Poverty
Community Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Change
The Power of Cultural Work Inspiring the Black Community
Concluding Thoughts

CONCLUSION: DISCOVERING NEW FOUNDATIONS
FOR THE GREAT WORK OF OUR TIME

References

Endnotes

 

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