Justice, Equity, Divesity and Inclusion
The Mission
The Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Committee of the ASLA Northern California Chapter (ASLA-NCC) was founded in 2020, born out of a pivotal moment of protesting stemming from the murder of George Flloyd with a backdrop of a global pandemic. Since its inception, we have been driven by an intentional commitment to continuous learning and meaningful action.
Our goal is to embrace and enact ideals that foster a truly just and equitable profession. This mission begins within our Northern California Chapter, reaches out into our local and regional professional communities, and ultimately aims to drive systemic impact across the broader landscape architecture profession and the National ASLA.
Vision
Our JEDI vision aims to foster an organizational culture to dismantle systemic barriers, and to foster equitable access, representation, and a deep sense of belonging for everyone. Moving beyond mere diversity metrics, we work to cultivate environments where underrepresented voices are not only heard and respected but are valued, amplified, and empowered to thrive.
What is JEDI?
Justice identifies and removes systemic and historical barriers, and immigration challenges faced across industries. It focuses on equipping professionals with the knowledge and tools to protect themselves from institutional harm and ensure fair treatment for all.
Equity ensures access to education, work opportunities, and fair pay based on individual needs and circumstances. It provides tailored resources to those who are underrepresented or marginalized, giving every professional the specific tools they need to succeed and reducing power disparities.
Diversity celebrates the full spectrum of identities, backgrounds, and opinions within our community. It acknowledges that every voice matters and fosters a rich variety of ideas, leadership styles, knowledge and experiences.
Inclusion builds a culture of true belonging where everyone feels safe, valued, and heard, empowering each person to show up authentically in our community.
Chapter’s JEDI Action Plan
This working action plan serves as a detailed, step-by-step roadmap for the ASLA-NCC JEDI initiatives. It outlines the specific strategies, tasks, resources, and timelines essential to achieving justice. Our goal is to transform abstract ideals into concrete actions, enhancing accountability and driving collective impact.
The ASLA-NCC JEDI Committee crafted this multi-year framework for the ASLA-NCC Leadership and our members to operationalize, measure, and embed Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion into our culture, policies and practice. This action plan is rooted in over a year of “Listening Circles” – casual, intimate gatherings designed as safe spaces for our local landscape architecture community. By sharing both struggles and successes, particularly around JEDI topics, these sessions allowed us to hear and truly understand the needs of our community. This deep listening has directly informed the Committee’s priorities and guided our upcoming actions.
Acknowledging that our world is rapidly changing, we view this as a living document that will evolve to meet our community’s shifting needs. If you are interested in helping shape this plan or joining our collective efforts, please reach out to jedi@asla-ncc.org or sign up for the ASLA-NCC mailing list to stay informed about future events and Listening Circles.
Land Acknowledgment
We respectfully acknowledge that our work takes place on the ancestral, unceded lands of Indigenous peoples. The extents of the Northern California Chapter is the traditional territory of the Ohlone, Miwok, Yokuts, Pomo, and Graton Rancheria communities, among others further along the Northern California coastline.
JEDI Events and Initiatives
Lunch with Leaders
Would you like to learn more about different types of JEDI work that landscape architects do? Check out our lunch with leaders recordings and stay tune in social media to join our next lunch with leaders event.
ASLA-NCC JEDI Scholarship
What drives your interests in the field of landscape architecture and/or what kind of role do you think landscape architecture can serve in furthering social justice equity diversity and inclusion?
Listening Circles
Our listening circles are a respectful, inclusive space where landscape architecture professionals can share personal experiences, learn from diverse perspectives, and collaborate on advancing the field,
Would you like to join us? Stay tuned to our social media or send us an email.
African American Cultural Landscape Submissions
In 2025 The JEDI Committee worked on the nomination of several places in the ASLA NCC area that fulfill the Cultural Landscape Foundation requirements to be consider an African American Cultural Landscape.
Committee Members
Vermouth Li / Chair
Peter Trio / Chair
Yuki Igarashi
Yusheng Dent
MaFe Gonzalez
Ruochen Wang
Keja Denae Marcum
Citlalli Bosques-Herrera
Alex Liu