Open events

"Our shared futures" are intricately intertwined with one another, as we seek ways to create and sustain better communities, and societies. Historically marginalized and oppressed communities, such as the European Roma, have sought asylum in Canada in hopes of building a better future for themselves, but especially for their children. Canadian Romani Alliance founder, Gina Csanyi-Robah, will share her story about leading a struggle for justice for the Roma community here in Canada, as well as the ways that this work was supported and sustained through the allyship and solidarity from multiple stakeholders in the Toronto community. As she emerged as a leader in the Canadian Roma community, she found herself supported by community social service organizations, human/refugee rights advocates and lawyers, healthcare workers, teachers, politicians, journalists, friends, and more. In 2012, they helped create and support Gina’s opportunity to address the Canadian Federal Government in Ottawa about the systemic discrimination and the prejudicial reforms to national immigration policy that directly impacted Roma refugee claimants from Europe, who were labelled as “Bogus Refugees” and criminals. The “Redress for Roma Refugees Coalition” formed in the Parkdale neighborhood of Toronto became home to thousands of Roma refugee families, primarily from Hungary. Together, they successfully held negligent lawyers accountable and won a litigation case to help families wrongfully deported.