Overcoming Ethnic Stereotypes Through Personal Stories and Role Models in the Media

Context

The Roma community in Ukraine often faces multiple forms of discrimination—based on ethnicity, gender, social status, and health condition. Educated Roma women are almost absent from the public media space, which reinforces stereotypes about the “impossibility” of education, professional achievement, and leadership for women from this community.

In this context, media created by the community itself play a key role in shaping an alternative narrative—one grounded in the community’s own voices, experiences, and achievements.

Zinaida Prokopenko, author and head of the media project Roma Are Us and advocacy adviser to the NGO Voice of Romni, explains:

“We began systematically implementing these changes in 2024, when our TikTok channel started growing rapidly and attracting a broad audience. That was when we realized that content about the Roma community generated a strong response, but also required a professional approach to language, ethics, and representation. We therefore created the YouTube channel ‘Roma Are Us’ and defined clear principles for ourselves: non-discriminatory communication, gender-sensitive presentation of materials, and representation of diverse voices within the community. These changes allowed us to move from amateur activism to a conscious media platform that builds trust and strengthens the leadership of Roma women and youth.”

What Was Done

The multimedia platform Roma Are Us produced a YouTube video interview/podcast featuring a Roma woman with a university degree who publicly shared her life story. The material focuses not on vulnerability, but on the protagonist’s agency and strength.

The interview highlights:

• her experience of overcoming bullying and discrimination at school and university;
• the intersection of several forms of vulnerability—ethnic identity, gender, and health condition;
• her path toward professional fulfillment and her active civic engagement in defending the rights of Roma women and youth.

How It Was Implemented

The case was implemented in the format of a video podcast centered on personal storytelling. The editorial team:

• consciously built the material around the protagonist’s voice, reflections, and lived experience;
• avoided reproducing stereotypical images of the Roma community;
• presented the interview as a role model capable of inspiring other Roma girls and women toward education, civic engagement, and self-realization.

This approach created a safe and respectful space for a difficult yet extremely important conversation.

Impact

The video received a strong positive response from audiences:

• numerous supportive comments;
• wide sharing of the material;
• requests for more stories of this kind;
• increased visibility of educated Roma women in the public sphere;
• contributed to breaking stereotypes about education, professional opportunities, and the social role of the Roma community.

As Zinaida Prokopenko noted:

“We received more feedback from women and young people who said this was the first time they had seen a positive and dignified portrayal of the Roma community in the media. The use of feminine professional titles, careful language, and respect for the protagonists helped create an atmosphere of safety and trust, thanks to which people themselves began sharing their own stories for future videos. The team also became more united: every participant in the project understands the value of inclusivity and responsibility for one’s words. This approach transformed ‘Roma Are Us’ from an initiative of enthusiasts into a recognizable media platform that influences public perceptions of Roma people in Ukrainian society.”