This lecture by visiting professor coleman jordan's explores spatial control, cultural resistance, and design through I CAN’T BREATHE and RECALL & RESPONSE.
I CAN’T BREATHE, jordan’s HAA 174P course, examines the historical and contemporary confinement of African American and Afro-Brazilian communities, from slave forts to prisons, favelas, and digital surveillance. Student projects investigate how systemic oppression persists while also highlighting acts of resistance and reimagining spaces of liberation.
RECALL & RESPONSE translates these themes into a pavilion designed as a percussion instrument, inviting engagement with African Diaspora rhythms. Constructed with sustainable wood joinery for reuse, it honors the musical traditions of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Pan-African heritage.
In partnership with the Pan African Heritage Museum (PAHM), it supports the reclamation of looted African artifacts and celebrates African arts and design as symbols of resilience. Together, the course and pavilion contribute to a broader discourse on spatial justice and Black futures, examining how history, architecture, and sound challenge systems of control and offer new possibilities for liberation.