ORLANDO, Fla. — This Black History Month, the work of successful Black architects and artists in Florida is on full display at one of the most popular venues in the city – the Orlando Science Center.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates Black or African Americans only make up about 5.8% of Americans in engineering or architecture occupations, and that's why Malcolm Jones hopes showcasing the work of Black architects helps boost those numbers.
Jones is an architect himself, and he says he could have been described as one even in his much younger days.
"I would be that kid that was just going around and picking up random stuff off the floor and just stat. I'd find a paper clip and a rubber band, and put it together," he laughed. "It had nothing to do with architecture, obviously but in my mom's mind, somehow that equated to being an architect."
Little did she know her faith in him would so move her son, he'd follow through on that vision or that she'd continue to, even today, be an enormous influence on Jones, who is now a parent himself.
So you could say it's only natural Jones's got a soft spot for kids.
"It's a great feeling to just really see a kid grasp the understanding of these different concepts," he said.
A big mission of his organization, Black Architects in the Making, is to lay out the blueprints for these kids, so they can see themselves building the foundation it takes to build a career as a future architect if they choose to.
That's why Jones and fellow architects such as Teri Watson are overjoyed their work takes on a full-fledged exhibit at the Orlando Science Center, one of the most popular destinations for Central Florida kids.
Watson puts it like this..." you hand a child a guitar, and they may become the best guitarist. So the same way goes for architecture. Handing out more Legos would probably help our profession a little bit more."
From Legos to full-on floor plans, Jones is now just two exams away from being a fully certified architect, hoping to hone in on residential architecture.
As far as his mission, it's not just about diversifying the dreamers behind the building blocks. He says it's about building an even stronger structure.
"There's been plenty of studies showing that when you have a diverse group of individuals, working together and bouncing ideas off one another, you tend to get a better product or better result." he said.
The Black Architects and Artists exhibit will be on display through the end of May at the Orlando Science Center.