“The black skin is not a badge of shame, but rather a glorious symbol of national greatness” – Marcus Garvey
Daniel Akinsulire is a first-generation Nigerian-American who graduated with his B.arch at
The City College of New York, via the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of architecture.
Growing up in his household, being the 3rd of 4 siblings, was certainly not easy. There was
always a degree of higher expectations to perform well in all of his academic studies.
Nevertheless, with the guidance of both his hardworking and loving parents, Daniel was
able to excel in his academics. His avid love for music, art, and nature is a strong part of
Daniel’s character and is high reflected in most of his work; this nicely complimented his
architectural studies in college. Daniel’s work ethics were recognized by his professors and
the school winning him and his team 1st place in the “Super Jury” competition in May 2019.
Not only did his team win a large cash prize, but a representative from the prestigious
firm KPF (Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates) was so impressed by their work, that they offered him
a job on the spot. Daniel still works at this firm to this present day as a Junior Architect working
on his AXP credentials to become the first licensed Architect in his immediate family.
Q + A Time
Honestly, I’ve known you for quite a long time and not only are you a talented artist and creative mind, you’re in the field of design
which is something that is not an easy discipline. Tell us a little about yourself, what brought you to architecture; talk a little bit about
your journey briefly.
“My interest in architecture developed from my uncle who I lived with for some time in Nigeria; he is an architect. But mainly architecture is a combination of two of my passions, art (drawing) and math and physics. It allows creativity while being grounded by the laws of physics. Now that I’m in the field there’s a lack of presence of African Americans and what I’d want to do is find ways to expose the field to younger generations so they can see the possibilities, in pursuing a career in architecture. ” – Daniel Akinsulire
(More on Daniel’s responses + a bonus question in his video interview below)
That’s honestly incredible. This in relationship to Black history Month; what do you see your experience, going through
the field of design and your academic experience as well, how would you say this could encourage or inspire the next
generation of young black men and women when choosing their career?
“I just think, especially nowadays we still have a lot of people in upper, or higher levels such as presidents or teachers… like a role model essentially….more role models in position power who are people of color. And I know how at a young age you kinda get made fun of being black, but I don’t want people to see that as a symbol of shame… because now we have a lot of people in higher roles and it’s more of an inspiration, you know? You want to be like that person and aspire to reach higher heights just like [him or her]. So I think being black should not be a symbol of shame but a symbol of greatness ….and we should hold that dear to our hearts.” – Daniel Akinsulire
Interview
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