The first union for Black and People of Colour

There are no unions in Denmark actively working for the rights of Black and People of Colour artists, cultural workers and employees. We want to change that! Since May last year, a group of BPOC artists and cultural workers have gathered at a series of meetings in Copenhagen, to discuss and critically analyse the issue of racism and the lack of representation in the Danish artand cultural scene. We have experienced that a lot of the art around us is excluding BPOC artists and audience, and we have realised that this will not change unless we unite and fight against it.

We want to create a platform for and by BPOC artists and cultural workers, where we support and empower each other. We don’t want to function like a conventional union, we want to organise on our own terms, and find a voice that speaks for us. The purpose of The Union is to work for the rights and needs of BPOC artists, cultural workers and employees in cultural institutions, and to celebrate BPOC art & diversity. Our goal is to support BPOC artists and cultural workers, and show solidarity with the racialized employees at cultural institutions. We see a tendency that Black and People of Colour working in security, kitchen and cleaning are not being paid properly, nor treated as the other staff. We want to collectively raise our voices to fight for better rights for BPOCs.

Over the last year, we have seen an immense interest in the creation of The Union, from BPOC artists and cultural workers residing all over Denmark. We now feel ready to launch The Union.

Our 4 initial focus points are:

1. To assure representation and equal rights in the field of art, culture and media for BPOC artists, cultural workers and employees in cultural institutions.
2. To raise awareness about structural racism in the field of art and culture, and how to dismantle it.
3. To create networks and educations for and by BPOC artists, cultural workers and employees in cultural institutions, primarily in Denmark, and later Europe/globally.
4. To create a forum for empowerment, community building, and BPOC artistic expressions

We feel it’s about time a union was created, that directly works for better rights and conditions, representation and diversity in the cultural sectors in Denmark.
A union for and by Black and People of Colour.

And we need your support to make it happen!

The goal is to reach 20.000 DKK to launch The Union, and start our organization.

Budget: 20.000 DKK (2700 €)

• 5.000 DKK Launch
• 4.000 DKK Database (establishing a database for members)
• 3.000 DKK Webpage (Setup, maintenance, domain)
• 2.000 DKK Graphic designer (logo, grafics)
• 2.000 DKK Merch/party (poster, badge, tote bags, stickers)
• 2.000 DKK Transportation for people from Århus/other places in Denmark
• 2.000 DKK Workshop