February is Black History Month – a time for learning and reflection

At ARIDO, we recognize that meaningful equity work extends far beyond a calendar moment. This month, we are focusing inward by engaging with ideas and histories that help us better understand how race, power, and design intersect.

Here are a few of the books currently on our reading list:

• Decolonizing Design by Dr. Elizabeth “Dori” Tunstall
• Race and Modern Architecture by Irene Cheng, Charles L. Davis II, and Mabel O. Wilson
• Designing for Diversity by Kathryn H. Anthony
• Black & White: An Intimate Multicultural Perspective on “White Advantage” by Stephen Dorsey

We believe learning is a responsibility, not a request placed on others. This is one small step toward building deeper understanding that can inform how we show up as a profession and as an association.

Our members are doing important work across Ontario. One recent example of the impact interior designers have beyond the studio is the NIA Centre for the Arts, a Toronto-based, national not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting, showcasing, and celebrating arts from across the African Diaspora.

The centre’s interior was designed by ARIDO Registered member Robin Fraser and was recently recognized with an ARIDO Impact Award.

Robin’s work on the NIA Centre demonstrates how interior design can support community, culture, and belonging through the built environment. As both a practitioner and educator, her leadership shows students and emerging designers how thoughtful, values-driven design can create lasting social impact, and how professional excellence and responsibility go hand in hand.

This is the kind of work that strengthens the profession and reminds us why building meaningful, member-focused recognition matters.