Roma

With fearless and bold photography, Open Society Foundations Community Youth Fellow Joci Marton is challenging how LGBTI Roma are perceived—by outsiders, but also by themselves.

Open Society Youth Fellow Laszlo Farkas is building a media company where his community can feel recognized—and welcome.

First established in 2008, the Roma Health Scholarships Program was intended to support young Roma trying to ensure their communities got the health care they deserved. More than a decade later, there’s no doubt it worked.

For decades, Open Society has proudly supported Europe’s Roma communities in their struggle for equal opportunity and recognition.

A small town in northwest Bulgaria shows that when Roma take the leadership, they can establish a framework for justice, equality, and prosperity despite racist prejudices and unpredictable, ever-changing political winds.

One Ukraine community’s response to an anti-Roma group offers a heartening example to all those who are trying to fight bigotry with compassion, dialogue, and understanding.

This year, International Roma Day and a pivotal election in Hungary coincide. While many Hungarian politicians are promoting racial supremacy, Roma are celebrating their cultural identity as a force to achieve equality.

Europe’s largest ethnic minority is still weighed down by prejudice and misunderstanding. By using a multifaceted strategy of litigation, public education, and direct advocacy, the Roma are changing their position.