Vera Bila

March 31, 2026 Published by: Roma Foundation

Věra Bílá, who was born on May 22, 1954 in Rokycany as one of Karol Gini’s six children, was a phenomenon of Romani music at the turn of the millennium. She sang for Bill Clinton at the White House, filled the Paris Olympia and was on her way to becoming the most famous Czech singer in the world. However, her career was later affected by the deaths of her husband, son and gambling. In March, we commemorate the seven-year anniversary of her death.

Z Rokycan do Bílého domu i pařížské Olympie. Před sedmi lety zemřela Věra Bílá. In: Rokycansky Denik. 28.03.2026. https://rokycansky.denik.cz/zpravy_region/z-rokycan-do-bileho-domu-i-parizske-olympie-pred-sedmi-lety-zemrela-vera-bila-20.html

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Jakub Jarý

March 31, 2026 Published by: Roma Foundation

Jakub Jarý’s life journey proves that if a person really wants to, he can overcome obstacles that may seem insurmountable to others. He is now a medical doctor in Czechia.

Even though he comes from an excluded locality and grew up in a working-class family, he was set up from the beginning to want to fight for a better life. As he himself says: “No shortcuts will help and in the long run they will not bring anything good, I am convinced of that. If young people want to live in better conditions than the ones they grew up in, they can only achieve this through diligence and work.”

Romský lékař Jakub Jarý: Cesta k lepšímu životu vede přes vzdělání a práci, žádné zkratky nepomohou. In: Medium Seznam. 31.03.2026. https://medium.seznam.cz/clanek/o-jilo-romsky-lekar-jakub-jary-cesta-k-lepsimu-zivotu-vede-pres-vzdelani-a-praci-zadne-zkratky-nepomohou-258386

News Eastern Europe Poland

Romani Pupils

March 31, 2026 Published by: Roma Foundation

An article about Romani pupils in Polish schools. It says that for a Roma child, the threshold of school is often a threshold to a completely different linguistic world. In homes, especially in groups like Polska Roma, which cultivate a stronger tradition, the first language is Romani. It is an intimate, homely language, acting as a guardian of identity. At school, students must rapidly adapt to Polish grammatical structures to master reading and writing, which represents a tremendous cognitive effort.

Well most of them are bilingual… So not sure about that statement.

Dwa światy w jednej ławce: Czego nie wiemy o romskich uczniach w polskich szkołach? (podcast cz. 5). In: Korso. 31.03.2026. https://korso.pl/romowie-w-mielcu/dwa-swiaty-w-jednej-lawce-czego-nie-wiemy-o-romskich-uczniach-w-polskich-szkolach-podcast-cz-5/PO07y3VbTvCNin1pZBzh

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Competition

March 31, 2026 Published by: Roma Foundation

The Slovenian Office for Nationalities has announced a prize competition for diploma, master’s and doctoral theses on Roma topics. The purpose of the competition is to encourage research activities of undergraduate and postgraduate students in the field of Roma topics and to raise awareness of the need to effectively address the challenges of social exclusion and poverty of members of the Roma community, prevent antigypsyism and discrimination against Roma, promote the inclusion of members of the Roma community and their participation in the design and implementation of solutions with the aim of building trust and preserving Roma culture and identity.

Nagradni natečaj za diplomska, magistrska in doktorska dela o romski tematiki. In: LMIT. 31.03.2026. https://www.lmit.org/za-mlade/nagradni-natecaj-za-diplomska-magistrska-in-doktorska-dela-o-romski-tematiki.html