At Podcast Movement, we recognize that the podcast industry is far from the diverse, equitable, and inclusive space it should be. At our events and as an organization, we strive to contribute to the dismantling of implicit bias, structural and systemic racism, and years of ingrained inequity. Evolutions 2023 is an opportunity to do better. Our specific goals are to:

Demonstrate commitment to being meaningfully inclusive across all parts of our events.
Including, but not limited to, embedding this commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in communications before, during, and after the event, and publishing this public statement of our goals.

Gather speaker demographics to ensure diverse representation on stage.
Our speaker registration forms give speakers the option to self-identify their gender and race/ethnicity. This information allows us to plan a diverse and representative roster. We strive to exceed the U.S. Census baseline numbers, and will actively prioritize underrepresented and historically marginalized voices.

Design panels to not be all-white or all-male.
Any given session or panel with 4 or more speakers should include at least one speaker who identifies as a woman, non-binary, or genderfluid, and at least one speaker who identifies as a person of color.

Ensure that conversations about diversity are not ‘put upon’ those from underrepresented groups.
It is not the responsibility of speakers from underrepresented groups to focus on diversity. Each speaker will be onstage to share their areas of expertise. Ideally, conversations about diversity will not just be siloed into dedicated sessions, but addressed throughout.

Budget for and publicize need-based financial support for attendees.
Establish scholarship programs aimed at those who otherwise would not be able to participate in the event, and ensure that all prospective attendees know of this support that is available to them.

Ensure an accessible, inclusive, and welcoming space.
Podcast Movement has made standard several initiatives in this area: Blank and labeled pronoun buttons for attendees that wish to communicate gender identity, affordable childcare, and both American Sign Language interpretation and live captioning for all general session keynotes. More initiatives will be added over time as we respond to the needs of our community.

Maintain a strong, enforceable code of conduct with a thorough response plan.
Maintain a well publicized code of conduct that reflects the needs of our community and sets up our team members with a plan of how to respond to any incidents that arise. By registering for or speaking at our event, all participants will acknowledge and agree to follow the code of conduct.

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If you have any questions related to this statement or these efforts, please contact our team at support@podcastmovement.com.

This Statement of Intent is adapted from the Speaker Rider for Meaningfully Inclusive Events, a collaboration between OpenNews and The Pudding. Learn more about why it was created here.