It takes just one person to change the trajectory of someone’s life. For Bradford Grant, professor of architecture at Howard University’s College of Engineering and Architecture, that person was the first African American teacher he had as a middle schooler in the California Bay area.
“He happened to teach shop, which involved making things, drafting and drawing,” recalls Grant. “I was so impressed with having an African American male teacher and he saw that I liked to make and draw new things, so he said I could be an architect.”
Flash forward to today and Grant now is an accomplished architecture professor at Howard University,
with honors from an array of organizations. He most recently earned the 2021 Distinguished Professor Award from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) in March.
“Had [that middle school teacher] said, ‘You should be a doctor,’ I would have probably pursued medicine. Had he said, ‘You should be a lawyer,’ I would have probably pursued law,” says Grant. “… In retrospect it showed me how important role modeling is to other young people, so I’ve always strived to promote role models, especially for African Americans or underrepresented students.”
One way Grant has promoted role models is not only by being one himself but by co-compiling the “Directory of African American Architects,” considered the first comprehensive survey, analysis and report on the numbers and role of African American Architects.
Building representation is critical in architecture, a field in which only 3% of practicing architects identify as Black. That’s due to a number of reasons, says Grant, most notably racism.
