The following is an edited version of a talk presented at Next City’s 2017 Vanguard conference.

This started as a conversation about whether urban planning needed more diversity. But we soon determined that was not the right question. The more immediate question was: Who Are We as a profession to still be asking such a question.

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Who Are We?

Well, I can tell you about me. Who I am — and who I no longer want to be.

You see, in my history I stood in halls of power, talking about statistics and design guidelines as a “planner” who didn’t speak to the race, face and humanity of people. I was so fearful of losing my own uncertain seat at the table that back then the only color I allowed myself showed up on my socks, hidden behind a sensible suit, theoretical frameworks and quantified communities.

But that is NOT the who I wanted to be.

I did not want to have a seat, but no voice. To have position I did not leverage to lift up others. To be a “doesn’t he speak eloquently?” while my color, race and history were lacking from my identity.

That was NOT who I wanted to be.

So, Who Am I?

There is nothing more official than taxes, and on my tax return I declare that I am an urban planner. I work at the intersection of urban planning, public health and economic opportunity. I work to undo the disparities in health and economic opportunity caused by our racialized environment and urban geography. We have built cities where racism and all the other “isms” can kill you by design, and we have the experience and data to prove it.

Despite or perhaps because of our history, I believe that planners must be part of the answer toward building a more equitable urban future. Because I count myself an urban planner, I feel the need to ask the question: Who Are We?

I am aware that planning wasn’t the plan for people who looked like me or came from where I have been. Planning was not a thing I knew about, but rather a thing I stumbled upon. (Does that resonate for other people of color reading this?)

This of course is not by accident. Rather I fear that has been part of the design.

I believe that if we can see all people, particularly more people of color as planners, we can move toward greater equity and actively expand the ranks and impact of our profession. Voices more diverse in every respect will make stronger the conversation of how we build stronger, healthier and more vibrant communities.