Journal of History and Culture Journal of History and Culture

j o u r n a l o f h i s t o r y a n d c u l t u r e
have been subjected to substandard education as compared to their European American counterparts. From this
apprenticeship style of teaching, Washington organized the Industrial Department in 1885, and by the 1920s the
master builder training was completely omitted from Black institutions due to Euro-centric influences and was
never recognized in White institutions. Beginning in the 1920s, architecture was emphasized and taught as a
science, art, and professional practice. Euro-centric influences dominated the architecture curriculum; therefore,
the profession was aimed at Euro-American males. The modern-day profession of architecture is a direct descendant
of the patronage system; it is based on a European model that has been thoroughly Americanized. Moreover, history
reveals that Washington’s apprenticeship approach became a catalyst for omitting Black women from the fields of
architecture design, planning and construction. Excluding the master builder approach, history also documents
that the apprenticeship approach is still practiced in architecture programs across the country. The omission of
Black women in these fields has disfranchised the Black populace and has subsequently resulted in the “edumaction”
of Black architects.
In post-secondary institutions outside of Black schools of architecture, most students of color are still a
distinct minority, especially Black women. Black women remain the most underrepresented group in the rankings
of licensed architects in the United States. In the article “The Canon and the Void: Gender, Race, and Architectural
History Texts,” Meltem Gurel and Kathryn Anthony mentioned that architectural history texts play a significant
role in conveying the culture, norms, and values of the architectural disciple to students. This study of architectural
history texts indicated that critical thinking continues to remain marginal to the grand narrative of architecture. 9
Once minorities get into architecture school, they are exposed mostly to the Euro-American history of American
architecture. They are not exposed to the history of Blacks as builders, and they are not given any sense of the
cultural relevance and practice of this field.
The dichotomy between Washington’s and Du Bois’ educational approaches played itself out, and the
education of Blacks in modern programs have changed to and been directed by a Euro-centric (i.e., White cultural
canon). David Nicol and Simon Pilling argued that architecture education is isolated according to cultural, gender,
and curriculum development; therefore, students’ understanding and communication of architecture with each
other—and later, with clients—are inadequate. 10 C. B. Steiner also stated “It is not what is in and out of the canon,
but rather the social structure of the canon itself that must be reconsidered” 11 In recent years, numerous publications
have spotlighted the importance of women and Blacks as critics, creators, and consumers of the built environment. 12
Nevertheless, the canon is decidedly European. 13 I believe that the debate should be furthered by reviewing and
11