Three years after the business world reacted to the rise of Black Lives Matter activism by escalating its embrace of DEI, the architectural profession has made notable strides towards becoming a more inclusive profession says one of Ontario’s most visible Black woman architects.

Farida Abu-Bakare, a frequent guest on diversity and inclusion panels and supporter of such groups as the Black Architects and Interior Designers Association, Black Students in Design and RISE for Architecture, is the director of global practice at the urban design firm WXY based in New York.

She is a member of the Ontario Association of Architects’ council and has prior experience as an associate at HOK and project director at Adjaye Associates, building a significant portfolio of community-growth projects across North America, Africa and Europe.