Join us for a webinar, where we will explore the often overlooked history of Roma and Sinti communities in the 20th century. This session aims to raise awareness about the ongoing discrimination these communities face and introduce new teaching resources that shed light on their experiences. A highlight of the webinar will be a talk by Małgorzata Kołaczek PhD and presentation of our latest educational tool, the mind map ‘Marginalised Histories,’ designed to enhance the teaching of Roma and Sinti history.

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Date: 24 September, 4 pm (Brussels time) till 5:30 pm.

The webinar aims to shed light on the persecution of Roma and Sinti and examine ongoing forms of discrimination that these communities continue to face. By exploring their experiences, we hope to foster a deeper understanding and awareness of the struggles of marginalized groups.

Through this webinar, participants will:

  1. Learn about examples of discrimination against Roma and Sinti in various European countries.
  2. Study the biographies of selected individuals of Roma origin who became victims of discrimination.
  3. Understand the circumstances that led to the Roma genocide carried out by Nazi Germany and its collaborators during World War II.
  4. Reflect on the current situation of Roma and Sinti communities, gaining sensitivity to signs of discrimination.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn, reflect, and engage with these critical issues.

Register today and be part of this important conversation!

REGISTER HERE

The webinar will feature case studies addressing various forms of discrimination, such as: lack of access to education, exclusion from military service, removal from public spaces, negative portrayals in the press, registration and eugenics programs. Through a variety of sources—photos, caricatures, legislation, press clippings, and more—participants will engage with powerful historical narratives and reflect on their contemporary relevance.

Why is This Important?

  1. Unrecognized Victims: Roma and Sinti are often left out of Holocaust narratives. Historians estimate that the Germans and their allies killed at least 250,000 European Sinti and Roma, although some scholars estimate the number may have been as high as 500,000. Like Jewish victims, they suffered brutal persecution, imprisonment, and extermination.
  2. Modern Relevance: The Roma community continues to experience widespread discrimination. Acknowledging their history may help foster understanding and interest in the present-day lives of Roma and Sinti communities.
  3. Genocide Awareness: Understanding the discrimination that Roma faced can help us recognize the stages of persecution that lead to genocide, in accordance with the 10 stages of genocide model.
  4. Historical Marginalization: The Nazis amplified pre-existing prejudices against Roma, escalating them to extreme violence. Exploring this history is crucial to combatting modern discrimination and exclusion.

Our speaker

Małgorzata Kołaczek – Doctor of Political Science, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Intercultural Studies at the Jagiellonian University since 2012 and former Deputy Director of Student Affairs in this Institute (2019-2023). Vice-President and co-founder of the Foundation Towards Dialogue. Co-founder of the Roma Community Centre in Warsaw. Review editor for the Romani Studies journal of the Gypsy Lore Society. Graduate of Public Relations studies at the TEU in Cracow and the Academy of Professional Coach at the Warsaw School of Economics. Visiting Professor at the University of Rochester in US (2017), visiting lecturer at the University of British Columbia in Canada and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, US. Her research and educational interests include issues of ethnicity, especially the Roma community and their situation in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as issues of migration, the public image and visibility of minorities in the media in Poland and globally. Author of books, scholarship holder of academic and didactic programmes, educator and anti-discrimination trainer. Coordinator of educational and research projects, author of educational programmes and tools.

Meet Our Experts and Contributors

We are proud to collaborate with scholars and institutions across Europe, including:

  • Dr. Petre Matei (Elie Wiesel National Institute for Studying the Holocaust in Romania)
  • Dr. Tamás Hajnáczky (Hungary, Ethnic and Minority Expert, Archiepiscopal College of Veszprém)
  • Helena Link (Germany, ENRS)
  • Roksana Mroczek-Wajs and Patrycja Mroczek-Wajs with assistance of Dr. Agnieszka Caban (Poland, Dom na Pograniczu)
  • Robert Korenić & Sunčica Nagradić Habus (Croatia, Roma Memorial Center Uštica)

In 2024, Roma protagonists were the heroes of our international “Remember. August 23” campaign commemorating the European Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Totalitarian Regimes. On this occasion, we presented two short films featuring stories of Emílie (Elina) Machálková (1926–2017), a Holocaust survivor and promoter of Romani culture, and Johann “Rukeli” Trollmann (1907–1944), a renown Sinti boxer from Germany, who fell victim to Nazi persecution. The animations are available to share on the ENRS YouTube channel at: