Thank you for following along this past month for our "Did You Know" Campaign. We hope you learned something new! Huge thanks to our DEI committee for pulling graphics and narrative together. Want to support DEI efforts at NY Upstate ASLA? Let us know, the DEI committee would love to have you!

Did you know that the area of present-day Upstate New York had been inhabited by the Haudenosaunee Native Americans for hundreds of years by the time the earliest Europeans arrived?

Did you know that from August 1944 until February 1946, Fort Ontario in Oswego served as the only shelter for Nazi Holocaust survivors in the United States?

Did you know Frederick Douglas & Harriet Tubman lived in Upstate NY?

Did you know the National Abolitionist Hall of Fame & Museum is located in Cazenovia, NY?

Did you know the important role Upstate NY played in the Abolitionist Movement?

Did you know Inclusive design acknowledges that we are all unique shapes, sizes, and abilities?

Did you know that 1 in 4 adults in the United States has some type of disability?

Did you know the NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center is in Auburn, NY? The Center celebrates the region’s pivotal role in the civil rights, suffrage, and LGBTQ movements. The Center serves as an interactive museum, chronicling the region’s progressive history and the struggle for equity from 1800 to the present. The site also serves as a community gathering place, a farmers market and a trailhead to historic sites.

Did you know that although 13% of the population nationwide identifies as Black or African American, Syracuse and Albany are both 30%, Buffalo is 37% and Rochester is 40%? Landscape architects lead the planning, design, and stewardship of healthy, equitable, safe, and resilient environments. The NY Upstate ASLA Chapter values diversity and is committed to fostering equity and inclusion while striving to mirror the communities we serve. We acknowledge that we have a ways to go, and we also understand the journey begins right here, under our own feet.

For the month of February, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee will be sharing thought provoking statistics and highlighting stories about historic and contemporary sites, organizations, and people related to diversity, equity, and inclusion here in Upstate New York. This “Did You Know” campaign aims to help our membership learn something new and expand their understanding of DEI issues.