Join coleman a. jordan [ebo], a distinguished scholar, designer, and activist, for a lecture titled “On Decolonizing the Built Environment.” The talk will address spaces of the Black Atlantic, Pan-Africanism, and decolonization. Professor jordan, the 2024–25 FAS Dean’s Visiting Professor of History of Art and Architecture, also teaches at Morgan State University, focusing on architecture, African Diaspora cultures, and decolonial methodologies.

This lecture will delve into the vibrant legacies and evolving narratives of the Black Atlantic, exploring how architecture can serve as a medium to reclaim and redefine African and African Diaspora identities. Professor Jordan will discuss his groundbreaking pavilion, ReCall & Response, designed for the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennial in collaboration with Tuskegee University’s Robert R. Taylor School of Architecture and Construction faculty. The pavilion draws inspiration from African and Diasporic drumming traditions—cultural codes of resilience and communication—and connects them to broader dialogues on decolonial futures through a partnership with the Pan African Heritage Museum in Ghana.

Professor Jordan will argue for recognizing, developing, and creating a Black aesthetic that transcends Western ideologies and embraces syncretism, innovation, and empowerment. Through the lens of Pan-Africanism and decolonial thought, he will outline how architecture can become a powerful tool for cultural celebration, academic collaboration, and global dialogue.