George Floyd wasn't the first or last Black person to be killed by the hands of police or vigilantes, but his documented murder helped spark a rise in discourse on systemic racism. In this 15-part series, members of the design community share how their conversations and view of and place in the profession have changed in a year that also saw an increase in attacks—many fatal—against people of color as well as the lives of millions more gone due to COVID-19.

Here, Michael Ford, Assoc. AIA, the Madison, Wis.–based founder of The Hip Hop Architecture Camp and the director of design at the Universal Hip Hop Museum, in the Bronx, N.Y., discusses his work as a full-time activist and why, in 2021, he still drives with his license and registration atop his dashboard.

Michael Ford
Hedi LaMarr Photography Michael Ford

A year ago, I told myself that my son will ask me one day, “Dad, what did you do in 2020?” That became my guiding principle in a lot of the decisions that I have made.

George Floyd’s murder led me to make a transition professionally. I knew I could make more of an impact by being out in the community rather than being attached to a desk for 50 hours a week. Using my skillset as a designer and my resources and contacts, I wanted to get more people engaged in the dialogue and to use their platforms to take action.

I’m a big believer in the universe returning things. I’ve been trying to put out as much good as I can. You just step out on faith that the universe will return some good.

Some of my collaborations and projects over the past year have far exceeded my expectations and had a much larger impact than what I thought. With one’s day notice, I painted a mural for George Floyd (in downtown Madison). That mural led to “Conversations for Change,” a collaboration with one of the world’s largest furniture dealer. The Herman Miller X Mike Ford piece brought the Eames lounge chair and ottoman and Charles and Ray Eames’s mission—creating a place of refuge from strains of modern day living—to 2020 and 2021: What does it mean [for Black people] to have a refuge?

Michael Ford and his family in front of his mural "526 Missed Opportunities," in Madison, Wis.
Anthony Cooper/It's Possible Michael Ford and his family in front of his mural "526 Missed Opportunities," in Madison, Wis.


Conversations for Change
We shipped the chair around the country to host “Conversations for Change” [in which I interviewed celebrities and activists on topics of racial and social justice and broadcasted via Instagram Live]. The money we raised will help cover a renovation for a Wisconsin victim of racial violence. His house needs to become accessible because he’s in a wheelchair now, so the funds are helping make his house a safe space for him. The renovation is a pro bono effort by a group of architects and designers who are part of Wisco NOMA, the Wisconsin chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects.

All 16 guests I interviewed had unique positions. One conversation that stands out was with Ed Lover. He was the face of hip-hop for a while with MTV Raps, bringing hip-hop into everybody’s houses and living rooms back in the day. As he spoke about racial violence and police brutality, what’s happening around the country, and its impact on families, he started to cry during our Instagram Live discussion. To see one of my cultural icons was an honor, firstly, but to see how [the discussion] affected him emotionally is something that has stuck with me.

A funder in Madison made a significant contribution to keep the chair here in Wisconsin. And they are currently planning a second “Conversations for Change” series in the state to get people and companies to take action and not become complacent again.


Creating a Seat at the Table
Herman Miller and I then completed another program, a Seat at the Table. The University of Wisconsin saw our Eames Lounge Chair and asked if students in its pre-college program could also [remix] the chairs as a project. The program had 67 high school seniors in Milwaukee who are interested in different disciplines, including interior design, law, biology, and pre-med.

Using Eames Lounge chairs would have blown their budget, so I went to Herman Miller to see what it could do. Herman Miller donated two Eames Molded Plastic Side chairs to each student: one chair for themselves and one chair to give to someone else—or maybe they send it to a place where they want to work, which will be the ultimate résumé piece, to say, “Here’s what it is that I want to do. Will you save my seat at the table? I’m coming.” The young people were challenged to say or put on their chairs what they are going to do in their communities while they are in college, and then what ultimate impact they’d like to have once they graduate.

Herman Miller donated Eames Molded Plastic Side chairs for Hip Hop Architecture Camp students in Milwaukee to remix.
courtesy Michael Ford and The Hip Hop Architecture Camp Herman Miller donated Eames Molded Plastic Side chairs for Hip Hop Architecture Camp students in Milwaukee to remix.
Seat at the Table (2021)
courtesy Michael Ford and The Hip Hop Architecture Camp Seat at the Table (2021)
Seat at the Table (2021)
courtesy Michael Ford and The Hip Hop Architecture Camp Seat at the Table (2021)
Seat at the Table (2021)
courtesy Michael Ford and The Hip Hop Architecture Camp Seat at the Table (2021)


It was a four-month program. I brought in guest speakers to talk about their work in their communities and how they are creating a seat at the table for other people. The speakers included Royce da 5’9”, a Detroit-based rapper, who was up for a Grammy at the time. We had Chantell Jewel, the superintendent of Milwaukee County House of Corrections and the first Black woman to hold that position. Wisconsin has the highest incarceration rate for Black men in the country. She talked about trying to reduce those numbers and the duality of being a Black person working in a department of corrections.

We had people who were formally incarcerated talk about the complications of starting your life after you’ve paid your debt to society. We had poets who talked about using their poetry to help heal and highlight issues. Muhibb Dyer, an amazing poet from Milwaukee, said, “I wouldn’t get too caught up in creating my seat at the table …. I’d also be focused on designing my own table.”

We’ll be expanding the Seat at the Table program to run in cities around the world. These collaborations with Herman Miller have allowed me to gain an additional platform to advise and consult with other brands and organizations that want to do something, but don’t know what to do or where to start. I thought I had a great network before, but now that network has expanded with changemakers around the country who wanted to share they’re doing in response to injustices after seeing the Herman Miller X Mike Ford collaboration.



Hip Hop Architecture Camp
This summer is the Hip Hop Architecture Camp’s fifth year in operation. Now that the Universal Hip Hop Museum has officially broken ground, the HHAC is teaming with the Universal Hip Hop Museum and the Hip Hop Education Center. We’ll be using the Universal Hip Hop Museum as a living laboratory. The design cyphers and planning sessions that I’m doing with hip-hop artists will become conversations that our camp participants can lead for their own design projects related to the museum.


This year’s camps will be a hybrid. We’re going to have a virtual format so our big celebrity guests can interact with all of our kids across the country. We’ll also have local components, where our young people interact with architects and designers in their city or state, as well as across the country. We expect to have about 500 kids—though I said that last year and we ended up with 600-plus.

Most of my participation in the camp will be virtual this year, but we have a team of people working with the camp as volunteers. We also have an advisory committee made up of representatives from 15 architecture and construction firms, including NBBJ, Bora Architecture & Interiors, and Hoffman Construction Co., that will help develop our internship program. Our top camp participants will have an opportunity to work with an architecture firm and further develop their camp project on a paid internship.

And Yet
Even with the conviction of Derek Chauvin, I’m not sure what direction the country is headed. It took multiple videos, and there were long testimonies that tried to convince you that what you saw with your eyes is not what happened. The fact that we did not know what the jury was going to [decide] tells us that we still have a long way to go. A lot of people are putting in the work, but as a country, we’re still far from where we need to be.

When contracts begin going to Black professionals, that will mean the design community is changing. We can elevate and talk about designers but, at the end of the day, contracts are what allow people to grow or expand their offices to bring in more diverse professionals. It’s winning commissions or even being invited to participate or compete for high-profile projects.

A lot of people are having JEDI discussions, but we all know what needs to happen. We need firms to have more diverse leadership and ownership. Awarding these firms with contracts or collaborations with larger firms is the best way to show growth in our profession.

My family and I recently drove from Madison to Dallas and I felt like I was on a 2021 Green Book planning initiative. I had to plan out which cities to stop in when we would need to change my son’s diaper. We needed to stop overnight because the drive is 15 hours, so I had to figure out which city to stop in so that I don’t drive at nighttime—I don’t want to get pulled over with my family in the car. I drove with my insurance, license, and registration on the dashboard so if I got pulled over, I didn’t have to reach for anything.

So we are still a long way away when, in my everyday actions, I’m thinking about how to be around as long as possible for my son. And I shouldn’t have to think about that when I’m taking a family trip.

Mike Ford and his son seek momentary refuge in his Eames Lounge Chair remix.
MOD Media Productions Mike Ford and his son seek momentary refuge in his Eames Lounge Chair remix.

As told to Wanda Lau on May 26, 2021. The views and conclusions from this author are not necessarily those of ARCHITECT magazine or of The American Institute of Architects.


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