“I Am Not a gypsy. I Am Roma.”
Early 1990s. Czech Republic.
A Roma boy named Michael stood in the middle of a cold schoolyard, surrounded by Gordja classmates. He wasn’t just different — he was othered. When he bravely said, “I am not a gypsy. I am Roma,” it wasn’t a declaration of defiance — it was a simple truth. But for that truth, he was beaten. Mocked. Pointed at like he didn’t belong.
They didn’t hear pride in his words. They heard a label they’d been taught to hate. “You’re a gypsy,” they yelled, as if it were an accusation.
This isn’t just one boy’s story. It’s a reflection of the prejudice the Romani nation has endured for generations — silenced, misrepresented, and dehumanized.
But Michael’s voice, however small at the time, mattered. And still does.
Let us remember and amplify these voices.
Let us challenge the labels that hurt and erase.
Let us listen when someone tells us who they are.
