In the Community: PHX’s Maurita Harris’ Involvement in the Community

We are extremely proud to acknowledge and praise Maurita Harris’ involvement in the Phoenix community. Maurita was recently invited on February 16^th to speak with the Black Student Union at Bioscience High School in Phoenix. She interacted with the students at the high school by answering questions about her career and experience as a minority female in the field of architecture. Maurita explained how she had to overcome other people thinking she didn’t earn her positions and that she was just someone to fill a quota. She says, “That is why I was so adamant about obtaining my architectural license. I have been very fortunate to have employers like Erik that trust me and push me to the forefront with my responsibilities for projects.”

Maurita is also a part of the National Organization of Minority Architects and will be participating in their Diversity Career Fair to reach out to a more diverse group of college students at ASU and U of A. She will be connecting with students who tend to be overlooked and/or not aware of the intern opportunities that may be available. This month, Maurita was a guest speaker for Intro to Design 131 (Design and Human Behavior) at ASU for Professor Kristen Keane, along with a fellow NOMA member and President Carlos Murrieta, Owner of Merge Architectural Group. Maurita spoke at the virtual class about the impact of culture on architecture and vice versa. She discussed the controversial “Making Buildings Beautiful Again” mandate, and touched on how the unique design of the National Museum of African-American History and Culture impacted the National Mall in DC. Maurita also spoke about how the design of buildings, during Jim Crow’s tenure, were purposely designed to segregate races and how this is still relevant to “redlining” districts for political gain today. Maurita emphasized how she feels architecture has a political impact whether people want to admit it or not.

We would also like to congratulate Maurita on recently being appointed a member of the Alhambra Village Planning Committee! The committee reviews the Phoenix General Plans and identifies problems, discusses potential updates, and comments on proposals for zoning and land use. Maurita will act as a “decision-maker” for cases involving the development of her immediate area within the City of Phoenix.

We are so proud of the strides Maurita has taken in the Phoenix community and we feel so incredibly lucky to have her on the PHX team. Included in this blog post are some of Maurita’s most prominent work during her time here at our firm.