Discussion
Not to sound overdramatic but with each passing hour I’m getting more and more saddened by the rejection of the DEIB devroom that we proposed at #FOSDEM (an initiative driven by @RosannaSibora and @Gina)
It would have been so powerful to have a DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging) track - to promote the visibility of a different kind of folks in tech AND celebrate them at Europe’s largest open source gathering.
A mini 🧵🥲
@_elena @RosannaSibora @Gina What is DEIB responsible for?
@_elena @RosannaSibora @Gina You should seriously consider going rogue and doing this as a side event.
Women need to stop waiting for permission and just DO stuff, we can't rely on others to give us the green light.
@_elena rejection due what/why?
2/4
I LOVED tinkering with computers in my childhood and teenage years and it never even occurred to me I could have gotten into computer science or engineering. I didn’t have any examples of that. I chose Mass Communication instead.
It’s only now, many many years later, that I have discovered the world of FOSS (thanks to the Fediverse) and self-hosting. I’m having so much fun and I almost wish I could turn back the clock and study to become a sysadmin (my heroes!)
3/4
My child is at that age (5 almost 6) when girls start experiencing a confidence gap. I would have been a proud mamma to show her the incredible diversity of presenters in our devroom at FOSDEM.
I’ve been showing her examples of other kinds of excellence (than stereotypical cis white men - sorry no offense) since she was an infant.
But it’s so much more powerful when you discuss people you know IRL and can show actual examples...
@_elena I just had to read up on that confidence gap.
https://www.girlsschools.org/blog/blog-details/~board/blog/post/the-confidence-gap-myth-what-a-study-of-10000-students-revealed-about-girls-and-confidence
It's pretty shocking. Though I'm not sure whether/how biased this POV presented there is.
4/4
The rejection probably hurts a lot because in this new life, I feel like I have finally found my people and I am now looking forward to each edition of FOSDEM, like a homecoming 🥹
Maybe the silver lining in this is that I can turn the disappointment into a new creative project? Maybe a photo + short interview series celebrating underrepresented people in tech, who are brilliant trailblazers?
We really appreciate all your supportive messages today! Thanks! 🥲❤️
@_elena Libreplanet maybe? not sure when the next conference is. it's usually in the spring.
@_elena may I ask if it seems reasonable to create pamphlets to distribute at FOSDEM explaining that your devroom has been rejected and if there's no reason given, asking people to demand the reason in person?
This may be late for the con itself, ma maybe it would be healthier for the next (2028 maybe?)
@_elena If you can't get a devroom, maybe you can host a meetup the day before or after (or even during?) the conference in a local café. You could ask the org to announce it somewhere on the site, similar to how they use to announce the beer event?
@_elena is there a way to organise a place in protest close to FOSDEM? With Fronteers, we originally had a side-event "Jam session" which became an official part of the event quickly enough.
Hi @_elena
I feel you, but found the smaller events much more impactful and rewarding than the mainstream big shots. It's honourable that you pitch the big stages, but if they don't want it, it's less your loss than theirs. Go to smaller events instead, e.g. the https://SFSCON.it and maybe pitch again next year.
@_elena Was there a particular reason given for why it was rejected? Doesn't it overlap with the Community one?
@_elena is a fringe event possible? I 'hacked' a commercial conf once by organizing something right next door. Which brought in ppl from the 'real' event.
@_elena@mastodon.social 10000000% agree
@ivan grazie Ivan! ❤️
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@_elena @RosannaSibora @Gina I think we need to look at the DEIB devroom at FOSDEM as piece of performance art.
The DEIB devroom *is* happening. The rejection by FOSDEM is part of the performance. It makes an unequivocal statement on where we're at with Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging in 2026.
Think of it like 4'33"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4%E2%80%B233%E2%80%B3
4′33″