Our group came together because we all shared experiences of systemic discrimination at the Berlin Music Commission. For four years, we have raised flags on multiple Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) issues; two years ago, as these incidents of racism, sexism, and exploitation that were mostly manifested in gaslighting, erasure, and privacy breaches became too heavy to endure, we sought help from several organisations and individuals.
We wish to extend our warm thanks to those who supported us, and we hope those who refused to help will critically reflect on their actions, especially since several of these organisations and individuals publicly present themselves as DEI champions.

As the BMC would not deal internally with the discrimination problems we raised, we turned to Mixmag who published an article relating some of the incidents. A few months later, the BMC announced they wanted to become more inclusive and hired consultants to take over the work we had started. And some months in, the BMC came forward with an apology, which allowed for all of us to discuss where to go from here on.
Compensation for our lost income and opportunities, legal costs, and labour has been agreed, and we have launched a series of projects to shed light on DEI best practices in our industry. DEI 2023 is funded by the BMC and features multiple segments showcasing those who supported our journey, artists, cultural workers, and more DEI actors from Berlin and beyond.

It has been rewarding to work on this multi-platform project and present it to the community; we also hope to encourage more individuals to take a stand for themselves and for others, and for more organisations to have the courage to show accountability and seek skilled help to dismantle systemic issues, beyond performative diversity-washing actions that perpetuate current cycles of discrimination, nepotism, and exploitation, in order for our industry to reach its full potential artistically, financially, and socially.

By Malonda, Nadia Says, Seraphin, Thor Hagedorn.