*This talk has reached FULL theater capacity. Reservation holders, please be aware that if you are not seated in the theater by 12:00pm, you are relinquishing your reserved seat to people waiting at the door. We do not permit anyone to hold seats for late attendees. At 12:00pm, A+D staff will fill any remaining seats in the theater on a first-come, first-serve basis with people who have opted to stand in line at the door. Please know that we cannot promise any seats will become available if you choose to stand in line without a reservation.*

**We will also be livestreaming this event at https://www.youtube.com/c/BerkeleyArtsDesign/live**

Join us for a talk by Rodney Leon, an American architect of Haitian descent and  the founder of Rodney Leon Architects. Mr. Leon is the designer of the "The Ark of Return", the permanent United Nations memorial dedicated to victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade located at UN headquarters in New York City.  He also designed the African Burial Ground National Monument(link is external) in New York, the oldest and largest known excavated burial ground in North America for both free and enslaved Africans which protects the historic role slavery played in building New York.  Mr. Leon specializes in urban planning projects with cultural and religious significance for faith based, cultural and international development organizations.  He has focused his professional efforts and developed expertise in modern “Culturally Contextual” design which uses history and culture to promote a more expansive and inclusive language of contemporary architecture. Current projects include Master Planning and Memorialization for the Historic Mount Zion  Cemetery in Georgetown, Washington DC ; The Enslaved African Memorial Committee in Teaneck, NJ  and for the Cultural Museum of African Art in Brooklyn, NY.Mr. Leon received his Bachelor of Architecture degree from Pratt Institute School of Architecture in 1992 and his Masters of Architecture from Yale University in 1995. He has also been a Visiting Design professor at Pratt Institute School of Architecture from 1998 to 2003. He has served as 2nd Year Design Coordinator for Pratt in 2003 and is currently serving as an Adjunct Professor of Advanced Design since 2009.

This event is part of the campus initiative to commemorate 400 years of resistance to slavery and injustice since 1619. The anniversary provides an opportunity for UC Berkeley to provide learning opportunities to delve into this history, understand the continuing impact of slavery and oppression, and to explore the extraordinary struggles for freedom and justice continuously fought by African Americans. For more information, visit 400years.berkeley.edu.