In response to Owusu's allegation, RIBA has initiated a formal investigation, and states that a report will be filed in time for discussion at the next national council meeting in March of 2016. (via Archinect)
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The Ghanaian-born architect, who co-led the 2009 refurbishment of the UK supreme court building, made the allegations after she stood for selection as Riba’s vice-president of practice and profession. She alleged that the election was rigged in favour of a rival candidate, and in a complaint to Riba’s president, Jane Duncan, she claimed it was “tantamount to institutionalised racism in my view”.
Riba said it had appointed a QC and expert in the field to conduct an independent investigation into the claims.
Owusu, 62, who was elected to the institute’s 60-strong governing council three months ago, said she was shocked by “sexist” banter at Riba’s September council meeting, which she said was akin to a “boys’ club”. She alleged there were jokes and references to the president being an “Essex girl”, and male members giggling: “We love Essex girls.”
She claimed that when she stood for the vice-presidency she was told that the president would be backing another candidate, whom she said was not an elected council member, and the decision was made behind closed doors. The successful candidate is not accused of any wrongdoing.
Owusu, a founder member and first chair of the Society of Black Architects, said: “The banter, discrimination and treating black people worse than other staff goes through architecture like a stick of rock. It’s absolutely disgraceful and it starts at the top with Riba.
“And this is an example: when there are two people up for a job, one an elected member, the other not, to use the weight of the institution from the president’s chair to support a white person over a black person, when we are both equally qualified, to me is the institution using its power to support behaviour that is tantamount to racism.” ... Owusu said she joined Riba’s council because she thought it was important she did so, and she felt well qualified to stand for the vice-president post as she was “particularly interested in issues of diversity, working with small practices, minority ethnic practices and encouraging them”.
She is a Riba “role model” on diversity issues and sits on the Architects for Change group, which champions increased diversity within the profession. “I have been in practice since 1986. To my great pride my citation for my OBE was as chair of the Society of Black Architects. I am a campaigning architect. That’s what I do. It’s part of my architectural life,” she said.1
- 1. http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/dec/03/riba-investigates-architects-allegations-of-institutional-racism