Tangible Remnants

**EPISODE CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE**

This episode features a candid conversation with Kia Weatherspoon.  We cover her journey to becoming an interior designer and the importance of equitable design for all.    

Quote:

"I refuse to accept despair as the final response to the ambiguities of history." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

 Links:

• Tangible Remnants on Instagram
• Tangible Remnants LinkedTree 
• Kia Weatherspoon on instagram
• Determined by Design Website
• Getaway House

Bio:  Kia Weatherspoon

The design voice of impact and change. Kia Weatherspoon, NCIDQ, ASID, has spent the last 15 years defying every design stereotype. The most damaging: interior design is a luxury

reserved for a few. Her voice, advocacy for Design Equity™ , and design practice have shifted the narrative, making interior design a standard for all. As an advocate and educator in business

leadership, equity, and diversity, Kia has been recognized for her work and achievements by Interior Design Magazine, GlobeSt.com, CREW DC, BD+C Magazine, IIDA and ASID. Kia was recently conferred with an Honorary Doctorate from New York School of Interior Design.

**Some of the links above may be Amazon affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you.**

**This episode is sponsored by www.Smartsheet4architects.com, a better way to manage architecture projects.**

In this episode, I talk with the amazing Monica Rhodes.  Our conversation meandered from the US Colored Troops to Fred Shuttlesworth to Contraband Camps & Negro baseball league stadiums.  Monica previously worked at the  National Trust for Historic Preservation so if you've worked with the Trust you'll likely recognize a few of the names.   As you'll hear, we had a great time chatting and joking about how she got rid of all the HOPE Crew T-shirts she inherited when she started the program.   

Quote:
" To accept one's past - one's history - is not the same thing as drowning in it; it is learning how to use it.  An invented past can never be used; it cracks and crumbles under the pressures of life." - James Baldwin

For shownotes visit: https://www.nakitareed.com/podcast-2/2021/3/15/episode-13-heritage-for-the-next-generation-w-monica-rhodes 

Bio: Monica Rhodes has been leading national efforts to connect local and regional communities with cultural heritage and historic sites for over a decade. She holds degrees from the University of Tulsa, Temple University, and the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned a Master's degree in historic preservation. Currently serving as the director of resource management at the National Park Foundation (NPF), the official nonprofit partner to the National Park Service, Rhodes oversees grantmaking for historic properties and develops strategies for preserving cultural heritage specifically representing communities of color. Concurrently, Rhodes also consults with the University of Pennsylvania's Weitzman School of Design at the Center for the Preservation of Civil Rights Sites, helping to establish partnerships to advance the Center’s work. 

Prior to her role at NPF, Rhodes was the founding director of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s HOPE (Hands-On Preservation Experience) Crew, which was created to expand the preservation movement to younger, more diverse audiences. Under Rhodes' leadership, the program completed over 165 heritage construction projects, trained 750 young people and veterans, engaged 3700 volunteers in large-scale community events, more than 1 billion media impressions, and supported $18M of preservation work. Before joining the Trust, Rhodes worked as a consultant to preservation organizations around the country. 

Rhodes sits on the Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP), the Market Center Community Development Corporation board, and the Baltimore Regional Housing Partnerships in Baltimore City. She also is a member of the International Council of Monuments and Sites, Sustainable Development Goals Working Group. Previously, she served as an advisor for the DC LGBTQ Historic Context Study and a project reviewer for the Facilities and Buildings grant program for the Washington, D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

Rhodes' work has been featured in national outlets such as PBS NewsHour, Huffington Post, Washington Post, and U.S. News & World Report. She also appeared in a feature spread on Black women in the preservation movement in Essence Magazine’s Spring 2018 issue. Her work continues to be at the vanguard of the ever-evolving world of heritage, place, community, and action.

**Some of the links above may be Amazon affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you.**

 **This episode is sponsored by www.Smartsheet4architects.com, a bette

In this episode, I talk with Constance "Connie" Lai about being an architect and a woman working in the preservation trades and construction field.  We talk about professional differences she observed while completing her Richard Morris Hunt Fellowship in France and the importance of valuing the impact of tradespeople on the built environment.  It's a great conversation that explores the impact of builders on the built environment and different ways to problem solve people & construction problems.

Parable:
A man came upon a construction site where three people were working. He asked the first, “What are you doing?” and the man replied: “I am laying bricks.” He asked the second, “What are you doing?” and the man replied: “I am building a wall.” As he approached the third, he heard him humming a tune as he worked, and asked, “What are you doing?” The man stood, looked up at the sky, and smiled, “I am building a cathedral!” - Vision Parable

Links:

• Washington Building Congress
• Nat'l Association of window restoration specialists FB group
• Hope Crew
• Preservation Trades Network
• Architect's Foundation  
• Richard Morris Hunt Prize
• Diversity Advancement Scholarship
• Laboratoire de recherche des monuments historiques (LRMH)
• National Preservation Institute
• National Organization of Minority Architects
• Black in Historic Preservation
• Tangible Remnants on Instagram
• Tangible Remnants on Facebook
• Tangible Remnants Webpage

Bio:  Constance Lai, FAIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, USACE-CQM
Constance Lai is the Historic Preservation Manager for Grunley Construction. She provides Historic Preservation and Conservation support to both the Pre-Construction and Operations Departments. Her expertise ranges from design-build to quality control to sustainability. She has over 18 years of experience in historic preservation and has worked on the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, the Washington Monument, and the U.S. Capitol. She has lectured on integrating conservation into the design and construction process, the Washington Monument Earthquake Repair project, and the contributions of Thomas Casey and Bernard Green to the Washington, DC, built environment.

She received her Bachelor of Architecture from Rice University and her Master of Science in Architectural Studies (History, Theory, and Criticism) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is an alumna of the AIADC Chapter’s Christopher Kelley Leadership Program.  In 2017, she was awarded the Richard Morris Hunt Prize Scholarship, which afforded her the opportunity to spend five weeks in France visiting preservation architecture firms and visiting construction sites.

This episode features a conversation with Sarah Marsom.  We cover ways to make the preservation field more accessible, the impetus behind her Dismantle Preservation Conference and the importance of getting paid.

Quote:  "We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color." - Dr. Maya Angelou

Links:

• Dismantle Preservation Unconference landing page 
• Dismantle Preservation 40 Under 40 
• Rust Belt Instagram
• Suffrage workshop
• Sarah's blog for spoonflower

Not mentioned in the show but additional awesome organizations and Young Preservation groups for you:

• Asian & Pacific Islander Americans in Historic Preservation 
• Death to Museums
• https://cincinnatipreservationcollective.org
• https://www.facebook.com/PreservIndy/
• https://www.facebook.com/youngohiopreservationists
• https://www.facebook.com/buffalosyoungpreservationists

Bio:  Sarah Marsom

With 10+ years of experience working in the cultural resources field, Sarah Marsom has a keen understanding of storytelling and connecting people to the past. Sarah works to improve the preservation movement’s accessibility by empowering the next generation of community advocates and increasing representation of lesser-known histories. In 2018, Sarah was recognized by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as the recipient of the American Express Aspire Award during the 2018 National Preservation Awards and as an honoree of the inaugural 40 Under 40: People Saving Place's list.  

Sarah's work has been featured in Curbed, Traditional Building Magazine, and the National Parks Service’s LGBTQ America Theme Study, amongst other publications and podcasts. 

Find her on  Instagram, Twitter,  LinkedIn or email her at  [email protected].

**This episode is sponsored by www.Smartsheet4architects.com**

This episode features a conversation between me and Real Estate entrepreneur, Patricia Ofori.  We talk about her journey of getting started in real estate, repurposing buildings, and the importance of knowing the process of getting a deal off the ground.

Quote:

"You can't be what you can't see." - Marian Wright Edelman

Bio:  Patricia Ofori

Patricia Ofori is a real estate entrepreneur who uses physical spaces to foster community, creativity, and collaboration. Her boutique firm Ofori & Co. specializes in multi-unit development and single-family home renovations. As an agent, Patricia has sold over 200 houses—primarily in the Washington, D.C. metro area’s competitive market. She’s personally bought, rehabbed and sold over a dozen properties. Her design philosophy is to honor a neighborhood’s aesthetic and heritage while curating contemporary and functional spaces. The Baltimore, Md.-based investor uses her wealth of real estate knowledge to host events that encourage camaraderie, sustainability, and homeownership.

 Patricia Ofori is a real estate entrepreneur who uses physical spaces to foster community, creativity, and collaboration. Her boutique firm Ofori & Co. specializes in multi-unit development and single-family home renovations. As an agent, Patricia has sold over 200 houses—primarily in the Washington, D.C. metro area’s competitive market. She’s personally bought, rehabbed and sold over a dozen properties. Her design philosophy is to honor a neighborhood’s aesthetic and heritage while curating contemporary and functional spaces. The Baltimore, Md.-based investor uses her wealth of real estate knowledge to host events that encourage camaraderie, sustainability, and homeownership.

Links:

• @oforiandco (instagram)
• Ofori & Co Website
• Make Space
• Akwaaba House
• Tangible Remnants on Instagram
• Tangible Remnants on Facebook

 **This episode is sponsored by www.Smartsheet4architects.com, a better way to manage architecture projects. |  Featured Music is selections from Sarah Gilberg's album Other People's Secrets"

**Some of the links above may be Amazon affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you.**

**Some of the links above may be Amazon affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you.**

This episode features some of my favorite things from 2020. 

Quote:

 "One ever feels his twoness - an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder."  - W.E.B. Du Bois

Links:

• Favorite Article: Racism Is Killing the Planet by Hop Hopkins
• Favorite Organizations: National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) & Zero Net Carbon Collaboration (ZNCC)
  • Also mentioned Climate Heritage Network  
  
  
• Favorite TV Show:  LoveCraft Country : https://www.hbo.com/lovecraft-country 
  • Helpful syllabus to digest the show: https://langstonleaguellc.squarespace.com/popculturepd 
  
  
• Favorite Book: Color of Law by Richard Rothstein 
• Favorite Conference: Dismantle Preservation https://www.sarahmarsom.com/dismantlepreservation 
• Tangible Remnants on Instagram
• Tangible Remnants on Facebook

  **This episode is sponsored by www.Smartsheet4architects.com, a better way to manage architecture projects.**

This episode features a conversation with Professor Amber Wiley.  She is an old friend who is an Assistant Professor in the Art History Department at Rutgers University and a scholar who has traveled the world studying culture.

Quote:

"The Civil Rights movement didn't begin in Montgomery and it didn't end in the 1960s.  It continues on to this very minute." - Julian Bond
 
Timestamps:
13:34 - Guatemala
17:36 - Africa (Ghana & Ethiopia)
20:20 - Being called a 'white person' in Africa
24:14 - India (Mumbai/Bombay, Goa, Delhi, Jaipur, Udaipur)
27:00 - Vietnam (Ho Chi Min City/Saigon)
32:00 - War Remnants Museum (Vietnam)
36:15 - Mexico (Tlatelolco)

Links:

• Society of Architectural Historians: H. Allen Brooks Travelling Fellowship
• Amber's blog post: An American in Saigon  
• Da 5 Bloods & Black Vietnam Veterans article in Time Magazine
• Tlatelolco, Mexico: Memorial 68 Museum
• Vietnam: War Remnants Museum
• Tangible Remnants on Instagram
• Tangible Remnants on Facebook

Bio:
 Amber Wiley specializes in architecture, urbanism, and African American cultural studies. Her research interests are centered on the social aspects of design and how it affects urban communities - architecture as a literal and figurative structure of power. She focuses on the ways local and national bodies have made the claim for the dominating narrative and collective memory of cities and examines how preservation and public history contribute to the creation and maintenance of the identity and “sense of place” of a city.

Her teaching approach mirrors her dedication to critical thinking about the human condition in the built environment, and the creation, evolution, and maintenance of cities, neighborhoods, and communities. She strives to actively engage in discourses that are significant across academic fields. Her theoretical and analytic background was founded in art and architectural history methodology, as well as the interdisciplinary methods of American Studies. She combines analysis of aesthetics and socio-cultural influences on community building with questions about the meaning of culture, authority, and agency.

She is active in preservation policy as well as various professional organizations.  She has served on the National Park System Advisory Board Landmarks Committee, and on the boards of the Vernacular Architecture Forum, Latrobe Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians, and the Yale Black Alumni Association.

Find Amber on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.

**Some of the links above may be Amazon affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you.**

**This episode is sponsored by www

**EPISODE CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE**

This episode features a conversation with Germaine Joseph with the Saint Lucia National Trust.  We talk about heritage and preservation, colonialism, colorism, climate change, tourism, and the importance of telling multiple narratives. 

 Quote:
“Break a vase, and the love that reassembles the fragments is stronger than that love which took its symmetry for granted when it was whole.” ― Sir Derek Walcott

Links:

• Saint Lucia National Trust
• Saint Lucia Tourism 
• Walcott Place
• Pigeon Island National Landmark
• Roderick Walcott & Sir Derek Walcott
• Tangible Remnants on Instagram
• Tangible Remnants on Facebook

Bio: 

Germaine Joseph holds A BSC degree in Architecture with 6 years’ work experience in conservation and preservation of Cultural Heritage. Specializing in Built Heritage and managing a register of 250 historic buildings for listing while developing draft legislation for the preservation and conservation of these historic buildings.

Recently certified in Museum Conservation Skills and Values Heritage Management at the University of the West Indies in conjunction with the OAS she also taken on a curatorial role at Walcott House Museum the birth museum of Walcott twins, Sir Derek and Roderick Walcott. Her current research interests include Cultural Heritage Management, Museum Heritage Management, Heritage Interpretation, Anthropology, Archaeology and the restoration of Built Heritage. Germaine was awarded a 2019 fellowship with the Museums Association of the Caribbean for her work at Walcott House.

Since her term with the Saint Lucia National Trust Ms. Joseph has married her passion for Architecture with her fervor for cultural heritage and preservation.

This episode features a conversation with Architect, Rasheda Tripp, and Developer, Morgan C.B. Miles.  They were the only other two black women in my graduating architecture class at UVA and have been dear friends of mine for almost 20 years.  We talk about our careers, what brought us to architecture and how we navigate white, male spaces as black women.

Quote:
"The function, the very serious function of racism is distraction.  It keeps you from doing your work.  It keeps you explaining, over and over again, your reason for being." - Toni Morrison

Links:

• Tangible Remnants on Instagram
• Tangible Remnants on Facebook
• The Wharf

Bios:
Rasheda Tripp
Rasheda Tripp received her BS in Architecture in 2006 from the University of Virginia. She earned her M. Architecture degree in 2012 from Washington University in St Louis.

Rasheda is currently a Project Architect for GuernseyTingle in Williamsburg Va. She’s been with the firm since 2013 and has continued to work remotely from Charlottesville since 2017. Her project types range from retail, multi-family residential and government facilities at all levels.

Rasheda is passionate about designing affordable and equitable housing. She frequently stops to admire the ceilings and doors of spaces. She’s mother to 2 boys and a wife to a husband who no longer judges her for stopping to look at random building details.

Morgan C.B. Miles 
Morgan C.B. Miles serves as the Senior Manager of Development for Strategic Property Partners (“SPP”) where she oversees entitlements, design, and construction of the $171 million, 388-unit luxury residential building as part of the first phase of the Water Street Tampa development. Integrating principles of walkability, sustainability, connectivity, design quality, and wellness, SPP will create, own, and operate the $3.5 billion, 9-million-square-foot mixed-use waterfront development in Tampa, Florida.

Morgan joined SPP from Hoffman & Associates and worked on The Wharf – a $2.5-billion world-class, mixed-use waterfront redevelopment in Washington, DC comprised of 3.2 million square feet of residential, hotel, office, restaurant, retail, marina, and public uses including waterfront parks, promenades, piers, and docks.  Morgan managed the development of North America's first Canopy by Hilton (a 175-key signature, lifestyle hotel) and DC’s first Hyatt House (a 237-key extended-stay hotel). As the Senior Development Manager, she was responsible for all aspects of this 9-time, award-winning $194 million hotel development including zoning, entitlements, design, permitting, hotel brand management, investor relations, financing, construction management, retail and master site coordination, furniture procurement and installation, LEED Gold certification, sales & marketing, concept creation and branding for the rooftop bar/lounge, pre-opening operations, and transition to asset management.  During her time on the Wharf project she also led the development of the $190 million, 96-unit ultra-luxury condominium building, designed by world-renowned Rafael Viñoly Architects P.C. with interiors by Thomas Juul-Hansen, LLC.

A LEED Accredited Professional, Morgan holds a B.S. in Architecture from the University of Virginia and an M.B.A. in Real Estate and Finance from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. This past November, Morgan was selected as one of the 10 Florida Winners of

**EPISODE CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE**

This episode features a conversation I had with Melissa R. Daniel of the Archispolly podcast.  We cover a range of topics from safety in the built environment to the impacts on mentor had on her life.

Melissa R. Daniel is an architectural designer in Washington DC and the creator and host of the Architecture is Political podcast, a podcast where Black and Brown folks have a conversation about architecture.  She served as executive co-chair of the 2017 AIA Women's Leadership Summit, and was a recipient of the 2018 AIA Associates Award.

Quote of the week: "The only way to find your voice is to use it." - Austin Kleon

Links:

• Archispolly (@archispolly)
• DC Racial Covenant
• Barbara Laurie 
• dp+partners (formally Deavreau & Purnell)
• NOMA

Some of the links above may be Amazon affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you.

This episode is sponsored by www.Smartsheet4architects.com, a better way to manage architecture projects.