Sullivan makes note of a slew of events scheduled for today that celebrate and interrogate the role of women in design and development, including a discussion on Architecture and the Great Recession as part of the Women of Architecture series hosted by the National Building Museum, and the International Women of Courage Awards Ceremony which will honor Hana Elhebshi of Libya, a woman architect and activist.
Sullivan also makes note of a pioneer in the field who recently passed on, and contemporary women in architecture that are blazing a path forward.
"The U.S. struggle for women, in all walks of life but also in architecture, is still with us. Just a few weeks ago, the first woman to overcome the racial and gender barrier of this profession, Norma Merrick Sklarek, passed away, leaving a profound and inspiring legacy.
Sklarek's life reminds us how very new African-American women are to the design world. She was the first woman of color to pass the New York exam and the first to be licensed at all, in 1962, and enjoyed an amazing career at the Los Angeles firms Gruen and Associates, Welton Becket Associates and Jerde Partnership. In 1966 she was elected a fellow of the American Institute of Architects."
