Read his thoughts to learn more about how BeBold is celebrating Black history—this month and beyond.

An opportunity for reflection

Every year, Black History Month presents an opportunity for America to reflect on the contributions, accomplishments, and triumphs of Black people in our society. Black history is inseparable from American history, and I am so proud to reflect on how far we have come as a nation and as a people. 

This month, ArchTam’s BeBOLD Employee Resource Group is celebrating how Black culture is interwoven into this great country. We seek to empower Black employees to shape the future of the company and the communities we serve. Black History Month shines a light on that mission. We’re engaging exciting speakers who will share their unique multicultural backgrounds as we partner with our family of Employee Resource Groups—teams dedicated to amplifying and uplifting diverse voices—to advance a vision of equity both within and outside of ArchTam.

Black History Month is special to me because I always discover more about the depth and breadth of the Black experience and how strong our ancestors were, both in the distant and recent past. As we reflect on our unique, yet shared histories, I’m excited once again to learn more about those experiences and the strength that lies behind them.

Though Black History Month presents a special time for reflection, we share a year-round commitment to uplifting Black employees and building lasting community partnerships that help shape the future of our company. And 2022 was no exception. We’re proud to have become more active than ever in the past year, hosting more than a dozen major events. Here are some of our highlights:

Black Joy

BeBold is about unity. In that sense, it’s also about joy. By acting in concert, we create opportunities to connect,  learn and  succeed. Convening BeBold members and our ERG allies, our 2022 Black Joy series celebrated the Black experience at ArchTam and beyond, honoring the contributions of Black people in arts and culture, interrogating inequity and adversity, and discussing political, professional, and personal advancement.  

Our series covered an array of topics, but one event in particular stood out: our Black Joy in Leadership discussion that featured ArchTam Board Director Lydia Kennard.

Given Ms. Kennard’s legacy, experience and status as a highly influential executive, she demonstrates Black Joy at the highest levels of business. Ms. Kennard shared her experiences with us in a 45-minute one on one interview and opened a window into her personal and professional life and how her family background, access to education and experience led her to where she is today: a successful black entrepreneur, President and CEO of her own company and ArchTam Board Director.

BeBold. BeTold.

At BeBold, we are all storytellers. Whether that’s sharing our experience at ArchTam, our career progressions, or identifying and addressing injustice. Last year, we launched BeTold, our interactive newsletter, to tell these stories.

In BeTold, you’ll read about BeBold’s latest initiatives, profiles of our wonderful members, discussions around work and success, opportunities to make a difference, and even thoughts on culture and history.

Highlights from BeTold include an in-depth outline of ArchTam’s wellness benefits for Black employees, a discussion between our Design Principal Pierre Roberson and Urban Planner Mo Bradford on strengthening the pipeline of Black talent, reflections on Juneteenth, and much more.

Painting history

ArchTam continuously strives to honor and uplift the communities in which it operates—and our offices are no exception. Located along Detroit’s QLine (which our teams helped deliver), our 4219 Woodward Avenue office pays homage to Motown, thanks to our collaboration with local artist designer, artist, educator, Torri Smith.

Smith’s first mural, “Resilient City,” seeks to embody and express the energy and movement of Detroit. It features several of Detroit’s most iconic spaces, including the legacy and revitalization of Michigan Central Station, the emphasis on Detroit’s musical roots as shown through the Motown Museum, and the continued environmental care expressed through the Belle Isle Conservatory.

“Vibrant City,” Smith’s second mural, seeks to uplift local legends of different scales, specifically artists and social justice activists. These advocates range from Motown legends such as the Supremes, who moved people through music, to local changemakers such as Allen Dennard, creating movement through musical-based protest activism.

We’re proud to have Smith’s work on display. It’s a reminder of our mission to deliver a better world and what that success can look like in the communities we serve.

Get engaged

As you can see, we love to walk a collective experience together as one BeBOLD Family, whether we’re supporting one another’s career progressions or simply exploring our passion for unity and inclusivity. We invite you to follow along with us on the ArchTam blog and ArchTam Voices this month, as we celebrate Black history, the progress made, and the possibilities to come.

Want to learn more about equity, diversity and inclusion at ArchTam? Discover how our people are creating a company where everyone can THRIVE.

The post Black History Month: Reflecting on a year of progress appeared first on Blog.

Our panelists included, from left to right:

• Drew Jeter, global business line chief executive, Project Management
• Belinda Butler, safety director, ArchTam Tishman
• Bridget Ssamula, senior director, Strategic Pursuits
• Donnie Seward, Jr., vice president, U.S. East regional practice leader, Environment

Below are three takeaways that resonated with participants.

Have conviction and clarity in your purpose

Belinda shared that in her career she has experienced many highs and lows—and managing them had to come from within. “If you have not established what your purpose is, when you go out and you’re met with challenges, then you are easily discouraged,” she said.

Being a Black woman in construction in New York City, she has navigated challenges over the course of her career such as being told no, being passed up for promotion, and not being acknowledged for her hard work ethic. But having a clear purpose of what she wanted to achieve kept her from being dismayed or deterred by the lows and negativity. She said, “Once I committed to my purpose, I was able to stand on that and say, this is what I’ve decided to do and I’m going to see it through.”

Be your authentic, true self

Donnie reflected on moments in his career when he felt he needed to pause and reconsider his approach when expressing his opinions in professional settings in order to be accepted. Over time, he realized that he and those around him benefitted the most from his authentic self because that was his unique, individual contribution to give.

Overcoming that barrier mentally and socially has empowered him to be the effective leader he aspired to be when he started with ArchTam nearly 22 years ago. Now, he strives to create the type of team environment where being your true self is supported and encouraged because you care about those around you and want them to recognize their contributions are valuable.

“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care,” Donnie said.

To grow, you must engage others

Drew shared the importance of surrounding yourself with people who will give you genuine, honest feedback. “We tend to be more in touch with our strengths than our weaknesses,” he explained, “So it’s good to have folks in your life who can be honest with you.” Being aware of how you can improve and then putting that knowledge into action is how you grow in those areas.

“We need to be able to identify the people in your career who can train and mentor us,” Bridget added. “You have to map these people because they’ll help you along the way. They will mentor you. They see you – more than just your skin color. They see your work ethic, they see your competence, they see your potential.”

Bridget said that one of the obstacles she had to face was to identify those she could trust with her career journey. “We also have to be honest and steer clear of those who cannot look past their unconscious bias,” she said. “I need to be able to get into an environment where I will be able to shine. And when you shine for [your mentors], they will walk with you.”

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