Elisa Dinu
Elisa Dinu is a young Roma feminist activist from Valea Seacă, Romania. She started her activism when she was only 14 years old, getting involved in the activities of E-Romnja – the Association for the Promotion of Roma Women’s Rights in her community. Since 2016, Elisa has been coordinating the group of young Roma girls and boys in her community. She organizes local street activities on violence against women, Roma pride and has also coordinated a campaign against harassment of girls in her village. Elisa loves writing and directing plays. She has written and directed plays for her village youth group on discrimination against Roma girls at school and Roma slavery. Elisa is the author of the article “Slavery may have ended 166 years ago, but I can still see the hatred today” published in 2021 as part of a project called The Way of the Land, initiated by DoR.
Georgiana Oprea
Georgiana Oprea, is 31 years old, Roma woman from Romania. She have been living in Spain for 17 years. Georgiana considers herself an empathetic and altruistic person because she likes to help and defend her community. Romani is her first language and she works as a Community Based Health Agent and as a health and intercultural mediator.
Dr. Justyna Matkowska
Dr. Justyna Matkowska earned her Ph.D. from the University of Wroclaw, with an academic background that includes an MA and BA in Literary Studies, also from the University of Wroclaw. She completed the Postgraduate Romani Studies Program at the Pedagogical University of Krakow in Poland. She has received research grants from institutions, including the Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum) and the Central European University. Dr. Matkowska has contributed her expertise as a researcher to the “Re-Thinking Roma Resistance” project at the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture. Currently, she serves as a postdoctoral researcher at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland, and as adjunct faculty at the University at Albany, State University of New York, in the United States. Her ongoing research explores topics such as the Romani Genocide, race and ethnicity, cultural memory, and representation.
Milena Reljić
Milena Reljić graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Nis, and acquired the title of psychologist. In 2021 she was engaged in the Social and Economic Justice program at the Open Society Foundation where she worked on topics of leadership, strategic planning, research, and public advocacy with an emphasis on creating strategies for political inclusion. She also lead a team of researchers in conducting relevant research, and creating policy proposals. Moreover, she contributed to the development of initiatives aimed for the Roma community, on inclusion, and self-organization. During her position at the European Roma Rights Center she had an opportunity to contribute with her writing skills by publishing articles in order to fight hate speech against Roma. Milena has been also part of the Romani Women Leadership academy organised by Roma Initiative Office with an aim of empowering women in leadership positions.
Prior to joining the Foundation, she worked as a psychological assistant in high school, being a professional advisor, associate on the Human Rights Committee. She also managed a research team in the ORS movement, participated and implemented UNDP initiatives, and attended seminars and conferences in Serbia on the topic of marginalized groups and psychology.
Pepi Fernández Camacho
Pepi Fernández Camacho is 37 years old, Roma feminist from Spain fighting for Roma rights, especially Roma women rights. Pepi is a social worker and she holds a Master in Gender Studies in the branch of feminist research by the Complutense University of Madrid.
‘’My greatest privilege is to be a Roma woman and daughter of my mother and father. I can’t stand injustice and above all I choose sincerity.’’
Amdrita Jakupi
Amdrita Jakupi, 34 years, is a systemic trauma therapist and psychological consultant. She works with refugees and traumatized women and children in Cologne-Porz. In 2020, Amdrita co-founded the non-profit association „save space e.V.“ in Cologne. A platform focused on intersectionality, inclusion, empowerment, trauma-informed education and healing work for people affected by structural oppression and systemic discrimination, e.g. racism, sexism, classism, ableism. Amdrita has written essays on the topic of “Post-Traumatic Growth and Transgenerative Emotional Inheritances” and works with the Romani initiatives like Iniromnja and association like Romaniphen and German-Jewish association „Amcha e.V.“ in Berlin. Amdrita Jakupi is a member of the Expert Panel on „(Post)-Colonial Heritage of the City of Cologne“ and the community initiative „AnKoRa“ (Anti-Kolonialer-Raum). Since August 2023, Amdrita is part of the constituent advisory board of the commissioner of the federal government against Antigypsyism and for the life of Sinti* and Roma*. In addition to her psycho-social and political work, Amdrita is above all an artist and part of the „Atelier V11“, an art studio in Cologne. Painting is the original expression and creative outlet of her art of survival.
Natalia Căldăraru
Natalia Căldăraru este o tânără activistă romă care luptă pentru drepturile fetelor și femeilor rome. Din 2016, se implică în proiecte dedicate fetelor și femeilor rome prin colaborarea cu Asociația E-Romnja. Îi place să scrie și să își împărtășească experiențele și perspectivele.
Judit Ignácz
Judit Ignácz is a trainer, speaker, and co-founder of Sheja Consulting. She specializes in workplace inclusion, focusing on racial and gender equity. A graduate of the School of Public Policy at Central European University (CEU), Judit has gained professional expertise in managing and leading teams and non-formal education programs, conducting policy analysis, research, human rights monitoring, and advocacy at national and international levels. Judit supports teams and companies in developing hard and soft skills to foster inclusion and equity. As a Romani woman, she combines her expertise with lived experiences to address challenges affecting Women of Color (WOC), particularly Romani women. She regularly speaks, writes, designs, and leads workshops on inclusion, equity, allyship, resilience, and intersectionality.
Imola Málek
Imola Málek graduated from Corvinus University of Budapest in 2021 with a Master’s degree in Economics and currently works in financial consultancy, fundraising, and tender writing, with a strong commitment to socially responsible projects. For the past decade, Imola has collaborated with various NGOs, including the Roma Education Fund, Amnesty International Hungary, the Amrita OBK Association, and the Dr. Ambedkar High School, supporting the education of disadvantaged Roma youth. As an active member of the Feminist Collective of Romani Gender Experts, she is also in the process of establishing an NGO in Hungary focused on poverty alleviation and human rights advocacy. Her thesis centered on the financial management of NGOs and individuals living in poverty, and they continue to research crisis situations faced by Roma women through ongoing community projects.
Ana Craciun
Ana Craciun, 20, is the author of the deeply personal article “Where Are You, Mom? A Journey to Healing.” Currently studying Romani language at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Ana is driven by her desire to support others who, like herself, have faced the pain of family abandonment and other challenges. She hopes her work will inspire healing and understanding within her community and beyond.
Ana Jovanović
Ana Jovanović is a transgender Romani activist and drag artist from Novi Sad, Serbia. She holds a university degree in preschool education and for many years has been engaged in various non-governmental Romani organisations, as well as participating in various projects aimed at improving the position of the Romani community in Serbian society. Since the autumn of 2019, she has worked with a local LGBT+ organisation and her focus of activism has been the multiple discrimination faced by LGBT+ Roma. In October 2022 she joined the ERRC as the LGBTQ+ Human Rights Monitor.
Carmen Fernández Molina
Carmen is a feminist and antiracist Romani Woman graduate of the University of Granada. She is a primary Education Teacher. Carmen has developed her professional career in the social and educational fields. She has worked as a teacher, mediator, social and community educator, educational advisor, trainer, trade union president, university collaborator, and served as vice president of Gitanas Feministas por la Diversidad (Romani Feminists for Diversity) for four years. She currently works as an equality officer and is responsible for the Ethnic Sexual Diversity Unit at the Cartagena City Council. Carmen has contributed to publications like Zero and Revista Other on topics such as Romani Feminism and the challenges arising from structural antigypsyism. Her activism began in adolescence, working as a secretary and teacher in the neighborhood association Foro Gitano in “Las 600.” She has participated in various European, national, and international forums, presenting intersectional analyses of public policies from a community and feminist perspective. Carmen blends conferences with performance art, advocating for greater political power for Romani women leaders. “I am proud of my family and the upbringing my Gitano parents gave me alongside my siblings. They taught me the greatness of family, respect, unconditional love, and the importance of believing in the community—of living in the neighborhood, transforming it, experiencing it, and enjoying it.”
Ana Victoria Amador Vargas
Ana Victoria Amador Vargas is originally from Granada, Spain. She holds a degree in Labor Relations and Human Resources from the University of Granada. Throughout her career, she has worked extensively as a social worker, collaborating with the Romani community in various organizations in Andalusia. In her free time, Ana Victoria enjoys drawing and painting and has participated in several art exhibitions in the province of Granada. Additionally, she has higher education studies from the Conservatory of Music and Dance in Granada, which has allowed her to work as an actress and dancer on various occasions.
