@ -12,6 +12,6 @@ This symposium intends to discuss gentrification and precarity within self-organ
The programme will address changing demographics of practitioners when those who do bring diversity in the WdKA workforce face ongoing racism, ableism, sexism, ageism and bureaucratic discrimination. For those with non-EU backgrounds who tried to join the institution, this translated in the absence of support in specific cases and continues with a hiring policy that excludes non-EU freelancers from ongoing employment beyond a very limited number of hours per year. The recent loss of teaching staff in the institution has further reduced diversity in the workplace. How can decolonial pedagogies be imagined and attempted when diversity is conditional to budget handling? What space is allowed to critical voices within an institution that has silenced them for so long? While we recognise that the symposium topics are valuable for students, we could only imagine participating in such programme if it was set in a non-extractive way. We urge the WdKA to resolve internal issues before proposing such an initiative, otherwise its actions become performative.
In June 2023, staff concerned over "inequalities, structural overwork, lack of EDI framework, lack of safety, lack of transparency, and lack of accountability from the side of management" organised a strike [https://www.doorbraak.eu/casual-wdka-organizes-grading-strike-at-willem-de-kooning/]. There has not yet been any resolution or attempt for reconciliation from the side of the management in response to the demands made by tutors.
In June 2023, staff concerned over "inequalities, structural overwork, lack of EDI framework, lack of safety, lack of transparency, and lack of accountability from the side of management" [organised a strike](https://www.doorbraak.eu/casual-wdka-organizes-grading-strike-at-willem-de-kooning/). There has not yet been any resolution or attempt for reconciliation from the side of the management in response to the demands made by tutors.
By saying no, we stand in solidarity with Varia current members, previous members, our peers in the cultural scene and staff of WdKA. People who have been, and continue to be, treated unethically by its management. We stand in solidarity with the students of WdKA. Their education could be different.