OAC cultivates new models of design practice by fostering a community of professionals who address racial inequity, embrace healing and wellness, and connect each other to land and climate justice. 

We bridge the design of our built environment with the movement for justice and liberation, by developing the capacity for design solutions to center the most pressing needs of society. 

• Racial Justice: We advance racial justice in our professions by offering training programs focused on systems thinking: understanding the structures, policies, and cultures in place that uphold racial inequity. We cultivate shared learning and practice community, understanding that change happens with support, care, and accountability among peers who have shared language and trust. Learn more about OAC’s services here and Pathways to Equity training here.

• Healing Justice: We believe that investing in our wellness, physically and mentally, enables us to be intentional and thoughtful in our community engagement and design practice. In our trainings and programs, we incorporate grounding exercises and meditations as well as share trauma-informed approaches to community engagement and how to navigate conflict. Learn more about our Equity in Practice fellowship here.

• Land & Climate Justice: We ensure land and climate justice are on the forefront of our programming, understanding the interconnectedness of racial and environmental justice. Our programming shares skills and strategies for design practitioners to incorporate climate driven design solutions across scale in their design solutions. And to practice “rematriation,” a term used by Native American women of Turtle Island. It is a practice of restoring a people to their rightful place in sacred relationship with their ancestral land. Learn about our partnership with Foxfire Ranch here.

Our programs and fellowships create space for a liberatory approach to the built environment:

• Pathways to Equity: A ten week cohort based program, designed to offer the history of systemic racism in the built environment, self-reflection tools, and community building practices. The program is also offered to cohorts at foundations, firms, organizations, and collectives. 

• Equity in Practice (EIP) Fellowship: A year long fellowship program for those deepening their relational practice of community engagement. Facilitators lead a cohort of  interdisciplinary fellows in intentional relationship building and community-centered projects. The curriculum is rooted in land and climate justice, cultural preservation, and creative placemaking. The fellowship includes a retreat at Foxfire Ranch located in Waterford, MS, where some of these discussions take place in the context of the Hollowell family’s stewardship of the land.

• Equity Consulting: We offer customized workshops and training that focus on building internal capacity and leadership, positioning design teams to be advocates for equity and inclusion. We facilitate sessions for firms, their clients, and partners to reveal more equitable methods to collaborate and co-create while sharing tools for difficult conversations.