Meeting Others

Foreigners enrich our culture

Mateja SegistudentGymnazium Jan PatockaPragueRoms are citizens of the Czech Republic as much as anyone else. The problem is that most Roms are not educated – so it is hard for them to find work. Then they do nothing, and expect the state to help them. There are many cases of uneducated parents who don’t want to send […]

I hope that my generation will overcome

Mariana WesleyovastudentGymnazium Jan PatockaPrague Roms should be looked at as individuals, not judged in terms of a whole ethnic group.The behavior of young Roms is shaped by their living standards, their interests, their environment etc. There are some who feel that they are different, that they are an ethnic group, that their social status is […]

There are good and bad people in every society

Lucie MatuskovastudentGymnazium Jan PatockaPragueI don’t have much experience with Roms. I think they are not all to blame; we make mistakes too. A friend of mine who is very dark told me about her stay in a hospital. She was not able to move. Her parents would bring fruit and put it on her bedside […]

They shouldn’t have been forced to assimilate

Filip CapandastudentJan Patocka Grammar SchoolPrague Roms are a minority in the Czech Republic. According to them, they are discriminated against. I think that is true.But what if so-called discrimination is only an excuse for their slow integration into our society? Roms came here a long time ago. They led a nomadic style of life, and […]

It was full of joy

Tereza RehakovastudentJan Patocka Grammar SchoolPrague This is my only experience with Roms. It happened when I was less than five years old. I lived in Smichov, where there were a lot of Roms. No Roms lived in our house, but the house across the road was full of them. Like all children I was inquisitive, […]

A lot of people have bad experiences with us Roma

Eva BajgerovaRomany Adviser to the Regional GovernmentUsti nad LabemA lot of people have bad experiences with us Roma. A man started a store with machines in our neighborhood. Machines for sawing lumber and all that. He repaired the house, and had a new façade put on. Romany kids were playing ball in front of the […]

We don’t know them

Anna StepankovaGymnazium Jan Patocka PragueWhat is my attitude towards Roms and skinheads? I don’t know, in fact. When I see a group of Roms or a group of skinheads, I cross the street to avoid them. For me it is the same with Roms and with skinheads. I have no experience with skinheads, I only […]

Create your own points of view

L.KristanovaSchool of Social StudiesUsti nad Labem I’m sad that many people don’t judge others by their character, but by the color of their skin. They should realize that nobody is able to choose his color. I don’t want to take the side of the black, yellow or white people. I only mean that we can’t […]

And he was white

Lucie KrupickovaSchool of Social StudiesUsti nad LabemThe situation is better nowadays. At least people are talking about it. And I think there were no Roms in politics in the past, but there are today. That’s a step forward.There is one thing I like about Roms: they respect traditions, and they help each other. I mean — when […]

But I’m not scared of them: why is that?

Lucie SlabaSchool of Social Studies Usti nad LabemWhen I was about seven and in first grade I was coming home with a friend. I don’t remember this very well, but I know that we met two Romany boys. We didn’t do anything bad, we were just walking and laughing about something. But all of a […]