Brett Roeth is making a trip to visit our AIAS Chapter on Wednesday, April 6th at Noon in Room 201 to discuss his soon-to-be published editorial in the AIAS National Publication, Crit. He's excited to come back home and see some familiar faces! For those of you that don't know Brett, he was our AIAS Chapter President from 2007/2008 and 2008/2009, before being elected as the National Vice President of the AIAS, where he served his office in Washington, DC from 2009 to 2010. Brett worked hard to successfully revive Miami's Chapter of AIAS and make it what it is today, and has since broadened his influence throughout the National Organization. Please plan to attend, and do a little research to learn more about what he's coming here to discuss.
The following is from Brett, introducing his editorial (click for whole article & links):
"Within the last year, Arizona – a state which students at three NAAB accredited schools of architecture call home – has enacted or proposed numerous laws with the stated purpose of curbing illegal immigration and protecting American citizens. Yet many contend these laws violate not only the fundamental principles embodied in the United States Constitution, but the civil and human rights of millions of persons. A growing segment of the American population understands Arizona as a place characterized by xenophobia, violence, and incivility." ...
... "Cultural and political issues in Arizona might not be at the forefront of your consciousness. But these events have everything to do with architecture: architecture and society are inextricable; architecture is a political and cultural act. As architecture students, we must be aware of the broader issues of the world that we will one day create. And Arizona serves as the cultural battleground of our generation. The fact that Phoenix is slated to be the host city for AIAS FORUM 2011 makes architecture students players in this cultural milieu.
Architecture students have a deep history and strong reputation for being the "conscience" of the profession. The current situation in Arizona provides us with yet another opportunity to rise to the occasion and tests our ethical and moral mettle. Will architecture students sit silently? Where do you stand on these abhorrent attacks on human rights that run against our very spirit? How will these issues inform your conception of architectural practice and the role of the architect in society?"
We look forward to hearing more from Brett-- to get the most out of this discussion, we recommend you check out some of the following sites. The more you know, the better!
For more information on the issue:
- These websites have a lot of good information about social injustice in Arizona and the reasons for boycotts: www.puenteaz.org and www.thesoundstrike.info
- Seth Freed Wessler, “Bills modeled after Arizona’s SB 1070 Spread Through States,” Color Lines, March 3, 2011, www.colorlines.com
- Article in Washington Post about how the landscape of Tucson has been changed forever by Loughner www.washingtonpost.com (Interestingly, the Post suspended Horwitz for three months following two articles she wrote that copied text from Arizona Republic articles. The articles were on the Jared Loughner court proceedings.)
- This is the one that talks about all of the bills AZ legislature is considering in 2011: www.commondreams.org
- Video 1
- Video 2
- Video 3
- Video 4
- They can read the full text of any law or bill at www.azleg.gov
- To see why, specifically, SB 1070 is unconstitutional, here’s the brief and supporting materials filed by the U.S. Department of Justice: www.justice.gov
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