Aleiya (she/her) is a designer who strives to cultivate joy, connection, and collective transformations at the crossroads of design and facilitation. She is the Design Justice Program Manager at Radian, Colorado’s only nonprofit Design and Architecture firm.  Aleiya holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Ethnic Studies from the University of Oregon and a Master of Design Studies degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Favorite Black space: Urban Sanctuary in Denver, CO which is a yoga and wellness center owned by a dope Black woman named Ali Duncan. Going to their BIPOC classes I feel such a sense of groundedness and body acceptance. It is also aesthetically stunning and located in 5 Points, one of the historically Black neighborhoods here!

Alicia (she/her) works with community development corporations, private developers, and non-profits to create visions of spaces that reflect their mission and goals for positive change.

Favorite Black space: Any place my family reunion is which mostly happens in Arkansas where my family owns farm land.

Amanda (she/her/ella) has worked for almost 10 years in the community development sector, on issues ranging from public infrastructure to environmental justice to affordable housing. She is an urban geographer motivated by the idea of building vibrant communities for all.

Favorite Black space: A favorite Black Space is Sweet Art Bakeshop in St. Louis. The owner makes the best, healthiest vegan foods, both lunch and bakes goodies. The owner is a Black woman and mother who creates a space filled with "love and magic"; I always feel nourished and safe there.

Amina (she/her) is an urban planner, educator, and strategist passionate about projects that center equity in the built environment. She uses research and public engagement to develop grounded strategies that make better, more connected places. She is originally from the DMV.

Favorite Black space: I love Soul Summit in Fort Greene Park. There's nothing better than an all ages daytime turn-up to great music. Black joy is infectious.

Armando (he/him) is an equity-centered transit planner and geographer focused on empowering communities through mobility and spatial analysis. He is from Montgomery County, MD and earned his Masters in Urban Planning from Harvard University. He currently lives in Hyde Park, Chicago.

Favorite Black space: My family's compound in Viriginia where my grandmother and two uncles each have a house. This is where all graduation parties, cookouts, birthday parties, and holiday celebrations take place.

Britt Redd, AICP, (they/them) is a city planner whose work centers ensuring neighbors have power over the places they value and decisions that affect them. Britt has collaborated with neighbors on regional and neighborhood plans, public spaces design, and economic development strategies.

Chandra (she/her) is an urban planner and artist based in Chicago. Her design approach includes working with community stakeholders in a participatory process to support capacity building, achieve place-based solutions, and reimagine systems.

Charlie Redd (she/her) is a sound healer and wellness teacher. At the core of everything that she does is a passion a mission to create spaces where people from marginalized groups can show up as their whole selves.

Christopher (he/him) is an urban planner interested in using the tools of urban planning and design to advance racial and social equity. He is the Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice at the NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental.

Favorite Black space: My favorite Black space is the Soul Summit Music Festival in Fort Greene in Brooklyn on Sunday afternoons during the summer. It is an intergenerational space of joy and celebration where one can witness the cultural legacy of techno and house music.

Danielle (she/her) is an economist whose work and research centers on U.S. labor market trends and inequality, community economic development, and gentrification. Her mission is to use her skills to advance racial economic justice and improve marginalized people’s socioeconomic outcomes.

Favorite Black space: My favorite BlackSpace is my Bronx neighborhood. It has all my favorite food, people, and memories — it's where I feel most at home.

Daphne (she/her) is Deputy Director with the NYC Mayor’s Office of Recovery and Resiliency working on climate resilience and neighborhood planning. Prior to that she was an urban planner at the NYC Department of City Planning focused on climate resilience and neighborhood planning. She is the Vice Chair of APA New York Metro Chapter Diversity Committee where she organizes workshops to introduce NYC students to urban planning and design. She also serves as an Advisory Board Member for the Octavia Project, a science-fiction summer program for teen girls and non-binary youth that uses the lens of science fiction to explore computer science, engineering, writing, and design. She is a 2017 Urban Design Forum Forefront Fellow.

Favorite Black space: I love kitchens in Black homes. It's the space where Black creativity and joy is expressed in so many forms: cooking, hair care, storytelling. I always find warmth in kitchens.

Devon (he/him/they/them) manages the programs and outreach efforts at the historic Madam Walker Legacy Center. As a freelance artist and meditation practitioner, Ginn’s practice examines the psychogeographies of the built environment through the lens of defiant joy and mindfulness.

Favorite Black space: The Indianapolis Public Library's Center for Black Literature and Culture elevates the artistic, academic, and social contributions of Black people from across the African diaspora. It is one of my favorite spots to study and chill.

Dominique (she/her) is a storyteller and event host from Anchorage, Alaska, living in Brooklyn, New York. Growing up as a military kid, traveling helped her find her voice through meeting new people and cultures. This led her to focus on the intersections that make us all so different but beautiful.

Favorite Black space: The moment at 2:45am at a party where we switch from She Gotta Donk to Kirk Franklin. I feel like my spirit just elevates. All the parts of me intersect fully, and I can see it reflected back with my friends. It's love, it's community.

Emma (she/her) is a community designer and has launched several initiatives, including New Museum x NEW INC’s business school’s first majority-BIPOC artist membership, Americans for the Arts’ first ecosystem for BIPOC culture workers, and, of course, BlackSpace’s award-winning work!

Favorite Black space: BlackSpace

Jessica (she/her) is a Deputy Public Defender at the Clark County Public Defender’s Office in Las Vegas, Nevada. In her work as a public defender, Jessica zealously advocates on behalf of indigent defendants accused of misdemeanor and felony charges. Prior to being at the Public Defender’s office, Jessica was a Corps Member in City Year, DC, and a law clerk for the ACLU of Nevada. While at the ACLU, Jessica taught formerly convicted persons how to restore their voting rights in Nevada. She has written op-eds calling for the reallocation of funds from Police Departments. Jessica is a graduate of Howard University School of Law and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Favorite Black space: Black-owned bookstores

Julia (she/her) is a culturally-informed community planner working towards an equitable, sustainable future by centering minoritized experiences in governance, planning, & development processes.

Favorite Black space: I love pop up community events (block parties, makers markets, festivals/parades, educational discussions/series, etc.)! Spaces that bring us together around a common interest are so inspiring and sacred.

Kenyatta (she/her) is interested in neighborhood resource distribution and heritage conservation. She previously worked on commercial corridor health with the NYC government. She studied Political Science and Afro-American Studies at UCLA and earned her Master’s in City Planning at MIT.

Favorite Black space: I love a good beauty supply, I love to switch up my hair so it's like my own arts and crafts store. Each store has their own flare and its fun to strike up convos with other shoppers about what they are doing to their hair.

Lorryn (she/her) is is a Chicago-based business and intellectual property attorney at Creative Genius Law with a focus on arts, culture, music, and entertainment. Lorryn is dedicated to fostering community pride, utilizing the law to create new opportunities, and protecting the legacies of individuals and businesses to ensure our communities thrive.

Favorite Black space: DuSable Museum of African-American History

Peter (he/him) is the founder of WorkUrban, a design consultancy that partners with communities, individuals and institutions while engaging students toward leadership and empowerment. Peter is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Architecture at Cornell University.

My favorite Black Space at the moment is Janet's - an informal Jamaican dining and social space in a Queens backyard.

Sabea (she/they) is a coordinator and facilitator grounded by collaborative projects that amplify the interests and innovations of Black and Indigenous people. She studied Linguistics, Religion, and Africana Studies at Haverford and Bryn Mawr Colleges, where they’ve also been an instructor and program manager in Africana Studies and Education.

Favorite Black space: Anywhere I can have boiled yam, dumpling, and banana for breakfast.

Sarah (she/her) is a multidisciplinary designer and storyteller interested in engaging social equity through design. She’s passionate about community-centered design and strives to promote agency and collaboration throughout the design process.

Favorite Black space: Kenya - its where I am from, it’s my ancestral home.

Favorite Black space: The salon. I love how I can practice the self-care of getting my hair done and at the same time connect and bond with other women, laugh, and be in my element!