Music Ensemble Hosts ‘BIPOC Internship’ Barring White Applicants, Citing ‘Systemic Allyship’

A Massachusetts music non-profit hosted a “BIPOC internship” program designed specifically for “professionals of color,” seemingly barring white professionals from applying.

Called Silkroad, the organization says that it works towards a “more hopeful and inclusive world” through its musical performances. But one of its internship programs appears to blatantly exclude white would-be applicants on the basis of their race, citing a commitment to “systemic allyship” as a justification for engaging in anti-white discrimination.

“The Silkroad BIPOC Internship Program is a five-month remote professional development experience designed to prepare emerging arts professionals of color with fluency in non-profit arts administration and leadership,” the organization explains in one document detailing the internship program.

“With a commitment to systemic allyship and the diversification of the non-profit arts sector, we welcome Black, Indigenous, and other persons of color to apply,” a description of the internship program explains.

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“Our internship program celebrates the inherent talent and artistry of young professionals, creating a platform upon which to build their careers,” the organization’s website reads. “Join us in diversifying the arts sector and providing opportunities for the next generation of arts leaders.”

David Pivtorak, a lawyer who has active cases against American Express for alleged racial discrimination against white employees, told The Daily Wire that Silkroad could likely be sued by would-be internship candidates who are barred from consideration because of their race.

“It looks like it’s a paid internship so the usual state and federal laws prohibiting racial discrimination in the employment context would likely apply,” Pivtorak explained to The Daily Wire. “Any white candidate who’s otherwise qualified could potentially sue if the internship, on its face, disqualifies anyone who is not a ‘person of color.’”

The organization provided the demographics of its past intern classes, which, according to Silkroad’s own data, did not include any white people.

“We understand the critical role diversity plays in advancing arts administration and are dedicated to actively expanding and diversifying our intern cohorts to address the current lack of representation,” the report from the organization reads.

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Silkroad did not respond to a request for comment.

In addition to its internship program, the organization also displays its adherence to left-wing ideology by way of a land acknowledgment posted at the bottom of its site.

“Silkroad acknowledges that Boston, MA, is the traditional territory of the Mashpee Wampanoag, Aquinnah Wampanoag, Nipmuc, and Massachusett tribal nations. At Silkroad, we acknowledge this legacy and find inspiration from this land,” the statement reads. “We also acknowledge the painful history of genocide and forced removal from this territory, and we honor and respect the many diverse Indigenous people still connected to this land on which we gather.”

“As a social impact organization, our board, staff, and artists have a responsibility to consider what it means to acknowledge the history and legacy of colonialism in our history as a nation, community, and organization,” Silkroad’s statement goes on to read.

Silkroad is one of the many organizations that appears to have engaged in anti-white discrimination in the name of DEI. A series of Daily Wire investigations revealed that a panoply of different corporations, including IBM, McKinsey and Company, Oracle, NASCAR, and J.P. Morgan, among others, hosted DEI internships, job openings, and professional development opportunities that appeared to bar whites, and in some cases Asians, from applying.

Institutions engaged in discrimination in the name of DEI could find themselves under heightened scrutiny as the Trump administration takes office, however. Pivtorak told The Daily Wire that Trump’s Justice Department has “a panoply of remedies it can seek to address the discrimination that results from these DEI programs.”