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Hi Friend,

Reimagining intersectional feminist futures requires reflection, open dialogue, and an understanding of how our social, cultural and political contexts weave together and shape our society. To genuinely embody feminist solidarity as a practice, we need to challenge the systems of oppression that inhibit our exploration of different pathways to liberation.

Roma people are the largest ethnic minority in Europe, but the lack of knowledge about their culture and traditions has paved the way for widespread stereotypes and an overly romanticized image of Roma’s way of life, obscuring the gruesome realities that Roma have had to endure throughout the centuries. This ignorance has also fueled hatred, racism and discrimination, which is still prevalent today.

Despite the systemically imposed barriers to keep them at the margins, Roma feminist organizers are still the main source of support and care to the Roma communities. For the past 4 years, FRIDA has been researching and collecting the stories of Roma women and LGBTQIA+ people’s organizing and resistance. We are so excited to share these stories of resilience and survival with the FRIDA Community!

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE PLAIN TEXT VERSION OF THIS REPORT

Roma feminist movements are continuously creating ways to support their communities and often take the role of the institutions that should be creating these conditions of protection and support. This research explores the diverse realities of Roma women, girls, and LGBTQI+ people and the intersectional nature of the challenges that they face, through the prism of activists who have been tailoring their approaches to address and advocate for these issues. Built on the conversations from interviews with 19 activists from the Southeast Europe region between 2018 and 2022, this collection of stories has emerged from a collective process to draw visibility towards Roma feminist organizers.

This research reiterates the distinctiveness of this community’s and the need for a tailored approach in the efforts to support their activism and grassroots organizing. Be sure to delve into the full report for ​​recommendations on how to support young Roma feminists.

“Besides funds, we need stronger unity and visibility. Many people don’t even believe that they can be involved in activist work, because the opportunities are not very visible. It’s crucial for young people to see queer people in physical and digital spaces. It’s crucial for them to see that queer people exist and that they can be celebrated without being sexualized.” - Arhanghella

We hold deep gratitude for everyone who trusted us to share their stories and reflections. We share these stories with the hope that philanthropic institutions, as well as feminist movements, can reflect and incorporate collective solidarity practices in their work. We hope that the realities of the activists who have shared their stories implore feminists to join the fight for the justice and freedom of Roma communities and work to collectively build practices that allow young Roma feminist organizers to thrive, sustain their work and acquire decision-making power about their future.

With love and solidarity,

Project Coordinator & Editor: Jovana Djordjevic
Researcher & Writer: Suzane Usein