A Czech Roma activist speaks about the imperative to show the Roma as actors for change, not victims in the media

Lucie Horváthová is a Roma activist from the Czech city of Pardubice. Horváthová is a masters student specializing in Social Anthropology. She currently works for the Cabinet of the Minister for Human Rights and Minorities in the Czech Republic. In this video, she discusses the need for the media to show a more balanced view of the Roma, which should include success stories and positive images instead of the stereotypical portrayals of "Gypsies" as victims or perpetrators of crime.

Horváthová highlights the fact that much Roma activism within the Czech Republic is unknown to the majority population, and even to many Romanies themselves. She proposes a two-prong approach to equality and integration: social programs aimed at inclusion, and the dissemination of information about activism and the community itself. These two strategies, she says, have the potential of bridging the divide between the Czech majority and the Roma minority population.