Dear colleagues and friends,
I want to reach out to you about the recent events surrounding the horrific death of George Floyd and so many other Black people who have experienced racially motivated injustices in the USA. The video showing the death of Floyd, personal stories of other victims, and the many powerful protests have been viewed around the world, motivating many countries to demand change. The IALD stands in solidarity and support of demands for reform of systems that perpetuate racism and racial inequity.
Our core values speak of integrity, leadership, community and collaboration. We need to leverage those core values now not just as lighting designers, but as members of the global IALD community and as human beings.
Moving forward, how can the IALD help make a meaningful change? How does this go beyond a social post of support or a message?
I have been asking myself these questions: How do we enact change? Where do we start? Is this a lighting design profession issue? Is this an issue with design professionals as a whole?
Like our colleagues in the lighting industry, we take this very seriously. This is the time to open up discussions on racial inequality, diversity and inclusion to listen and learn so we can figure out what actions IALD may take.
If you have any thoughts or comments, please share them at president@iald.org.
Thank you,
Douglas Leonard, IALD
IALD President 2020+2021