Symposia
Supply Chain Equity: Modern Slavery, Architecture, and Construction
The ongoing legacy of chattel slavery and the persistence of modern slavery weigh on the architecture, construction, and engineering industries, from material supply chains to jobsites. A course on slavery in the built environment, taught simultaneously at Yale and University of Michigan, with support from the Yale Law School and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, invites students to reckon with these challenges. While the professions recognize the necessity of this work, the inertial weight of current practice and systems have sidelined early efforts to confront slavery in contemporary society. Yet the momentum for change continues. Disclosure legislation in the United Kingdom and Australia is being supplemented by EU-level human-rights due-diligence responsibilities around forced labor. Stepped-up U.S. customs enforcement preventing the entry of tainted goods puts “just-in-time” sourcing at risk. Architecture and law students—along with colleagues from environmental, social work, business, and policy programs—seek connections to justice and exploitation-free practice. Building on this momentum, the symposium invites participants to work across disciplinary lines, harness expertise, and seek pathbreaking solutions together.
Supply Chain Equity is jointly organized by the Yale School of Architecture and the University of Michigan Law School.
Supply Chain Equity is supported by the J. Irwin Miller Endowment, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, and the Gordon H. Smith Lectureship in Practical Architecture Fund.
Friday, April 11
Understanding the Challenge: What is the current context of forced labor and supply chain equity in the building industry?
Hastings Hall, 9:30 a.m.
Sheela Ahluwalia, Transparentem
Phil Bernstein, Yale University
David Blight, Yale University
Bridgette Carr, University of Michigan
Jordan H. Carver, Yale University
Lou C.deBaca, University of Michigan
Jacob Reidel, Harvard University
Lessons from Sustainability: What can be learned from this movement about systemic change?
Hastings Hall, 1:30 p.m.
Randy Newcombe, Omidyar Group
Alan Organschi, Yale University
Nora Rizzo, Grace Farms
Methodologies: What are current methods, techniques, and theories that can be instructive to the building industry to enact change?
Hastings Hall, 3:00 p.m.
Greg Asbed, Coalition of Immokalee Workers
Jordan H. Carver, Yale University
Kayleigh Houde, Buro Happold
Alicia Ley, Survivor Alliance
Shawn MacDonald, Verité
Chavi Keeney Nana, University of Michigan
Amy O’Neill Richard, United States Department of State
Ryan Welch, Kieran Timberlake
Keynote Lecture
Gordon H. Smith Lecture
Hastings Hall, 6:30 p.m.
“Engaging Supply Chain Equity: Meaning, Mindset, and Risk”
Billie Faircloth, Cornell University
Saturday, April 12
Workshops for Action: What are actions for change and reform?
Hastings Hall, 10:00 a.m.
Sheela Ahluwalia, Transparentem
Austin Choi-Fitzpatrick, UC San Diego
Billie Faircloth, Cornell University
Kayleigh Houde, Buro Happold
Chavi Keeney Nana, University of Michigan
Jacob Reidel, Harvard University
John Tocci, Tocci Builders
Epilogue
Hastings Hall, 12:00 p.m.
Billie Faircloth, Cornell University
