Bryan C. Lee, Jr. is president of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA); founder and director of Colloqate Design, a New Orleans and Portland, Oregonbased practice; and a lecturer at Harvard GSD. NOMA, like many organizations, is navigating our present political moment in which executive orders from the Trump administration threaten civil rights; freedom of speech; and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, which are at the core of NOMAs mission.Lee became NOMAs president in January and will serve a two-year term, through 2026. AN interviewed Lee to check in about how the organization is doing and his plans for his presidency. The interview was conducted over Zoom and finalized via email. AN: What is morale like at NOMA right now? What are NOMAs current priorities?Bryan C. Lee, Jr. (BL): NOMA is an organization with a history of challenging these moments, stepping up, and being forthright about situations like this. Id say were ready for this fight, but were tired of having to keep having this fight over and over again. But, you know, weve done it before. And well do it again.Our board and membership are concerned about the rollback of DEI as it pertains to student chapters being at risk in our universities and as it relates to MWBE certification for federal and state projects. We also have concerns around issues in Palestine, the genocide, and the erasure of culture there.There are a lot of issues getting brought up that our membership is at the forefront of, whether through organizing on the ground or directly at their universities.For NOMAs board, our job right now is working through the chaos and responding in a way that actually has meaningful outputs that can make our students safer and our membership more resilient through the hardest few years were going to go through in a while. AN: How has NOMA been impacted by Trumps first round of executive orders?BL: The executive order in regard to classical architecture is a moot point because Ive never known a federal or state building to finish in four years so, theoretically, things should go back to the way they were at some point.The orders concerning language and DEI will have ramifications for procuring jobs, especially for smaller firms. I dont know what to tell the big firms, but Im not really in the business of sustaining large firms that already consume all the resources in the architecture industry either; they can survive on their own.Small and mid-sized firms like mine, however, need $500,000 and $1 million dollar contracts to survive. My concern is smaller firms that partner with larger firms will no longer have access. The larger firms have always figured out ways to work, and theyll manage because they have the resources to sustain themselves. Or theyll just fire everybody like they generally do.I think there will be a knock on firms and organizations that survive off larger projects which they wouldnt be able to get otherwise. This is significant and especially so for NOMAs membership.AN: What tangible actions can NOMA take to keep students safe?BL: We will have a student roundtable soon about this. It will be less about us making decisions for students and more about understanding what students need.I have students right now in my classes at the GSD dealing with these issues. First and foremost, I want to make sure folks who are critically impacted by any given issue are the ones who can shape institutional policy.Some students feel afraid about going back to school. I understand some of the things Columbia students might be struggling with. Some are asking, Do I go back and finish class or not? or, Maybe I was at a protest these past few years. Am I at risk? We need to advocate for students who are either at risk of being deported and not being able to go to school. We also need to deal with the sustained mental trauma and constant fear of being persecuted.Generally speaking, we want to make sure that were able to protect the identity of students who speak out. Were doing our due diligence of understanding whats going on so we can act appropriately, protect peoples privacy, and make sure they have the resources they need. We want to make sure we can speak truth to power around these issues with a student perspective in mind, even if they are not speaking directly. I can handle the heat, which is part of my job as NOMAs president. But its never just a single person who does this stuff; NOMAs board is able to take a stand, if needed.AN: What are your thoughts about the plight of Ranjani Srinivasan, a doctoral candidate at Columbia GSAPP, who was targeted by ICE?BL: Speaking for myself, I think this situation represents a concerning precedent for academic institutions and their responsibilities toward students engaged in critical discourse.Columbia University has an obligation to protect its academic community. In this instance, they have failed to uphold this fundamental duty. I would expect specific, concrete action from the institution in the form of: The full reinstatement of Ranjani as a non-residential student; the provision of all necessary resources to complete their doctoral studies; [and] institutional accountability for the disruption to Ranjanis academic career.As it relates to NOMA, this case highlights broader concerns about academic freedom and international student protections that affect many in our profession. The 140-plus student chapters of NOMA and countless international students in design programs deserve better safeguards. I encourage colleagues to consider how we might collectively address these systemic issues through professional advocacy, institutional engagement, and policy reform.AN: What are some aspects of your platform as NOMA president? What gives you hope?BL: There are fewer restraints today forcing us to uphold the existing system. When the system doesnt work, I think theres an opportunity to restructure the way procurement works and the way we talk about DEI. Im much more of a justice, equity, and liberation person myself, anyway.We can build and create spaces that are actually of service to whole communities, not simply individuals with capital; we can identify the holistic version of neighborhoods that support us; and we can potentially try reducing the amount of funding that goes to the Department of Defense and instead put that money into HUD.We can change the way we think about affordable housing. What if, for instance, instead of basing affordability on AMI, we used AWIArea Wealth Inequality? And how can we acknowledge the history of violence and capital extraction that were part of urban renewal?Toward that end, at NOMA we want to develop a Benefits Toolkit empowering communities to articulate their needs and measure outcomes in architectural projects, ensuring neighborhood voices directly shape development in historically marginalized areas.Were also working on developing a NOMA JEDI Leaders Guidebook that provides comprehensive resources for firms and individuals to implement justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion principles in leadership and practice.We also want to establish a NOMA Environmental Justice Initiative addressing how architecture contributes to climate impacts, with a specific focus on reducing the 39 percent of carbon emissions and 40 percent of energy consumption attributed to the built environment.Another goal we have is to develop and implement a spatial Design Justice Practice committee that will set new standards for equitable architectural practice across the industry.AN: How is NOMA building resiliency at an institutional level?BL: Im hoping we can partner with other institutions that are also at risk. I dont know whats going to happen with the National Museum of African American History and Culture or the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. but those Smithsonian Institutions are on the chopping block, not to mention the ones at the state and local levels.I also think we have to expand outside architecture. We have to go back to working with the Urban League, the NAACP, and La Raza. We need to work with the Congressional Black Caucus and the Progressive Congressional Caucus. We want to support Black Lives Matter and the ACLU. Weve got to make sure we are working with institutions and organizations that support justice and equity in their work. I also want NOMA to establish stronger partnerships between HBCUs and communities to leverage both spatial and cultural knowledge in neighborhood revitalization projects.I dont want to give anyone clout at the moment, because everybody can change tomorrow. But, in terms of corporate entities, there are corporations that we would like to work with that are leaning into these issues. There are not a lot of them, and I dont know if there are any I can point to immediately, but part of our work right now is identifying whos real and whos not.