At home in Portugal, I am a member of the NGO Rota Joven that organizes youth led projects. This past year I’ve worked for the Anne Frank Youth Network and Stories that Move.

I met Leona, a Portuguese content creator and Roma woman, digitally. Leona sums up her life story in three words: difficult, challenging, and inspiring. She has a powerful voice with many followers on her social media and gave me important insights that I’d like to share.

One of the most deeply rooted expressions in the Portuguese language is: “Keep one eye on the donkey and the other on the gypsy”. Often used as a warning to stay alert, the “donkey” represents something valuable to protect, while the “gypsy” symbolizes threat or opportunistic danger.

This expression is so common in Portugal that it took me a long time to question the prejudice embedded within it. It was only when I began to actively work on issues of discrimination that I truly understood the scale of this unconscious bias.

Prejudices are often deeply ingrained in everyday life. When discrimination is found in “smaller actions,” we tend to downplay its impact, allowing it to become part of what feels normal. And when a “small” discriminatory action gets repeated, a much bigger issue can arise, and then it becomes much harder to reverse. Discrimination has been part of her life since childhood; for many years, she was the only Roma student in her school. As she puts it, “children can be very cruel”. However, one of the moments that impacted her most involved an adult:

“At school I couldn’t open the can of juice that I had been given. Every time I asked a staff member to help me—like any other child would—she would push me away and say, ‘Get away from me! Why were you even born?’ To this day, I still wonder how an adult could say that to a child.”

For Leona, her identity is inseparable from struggle: “Being a woman is already hard. Being a Roma woman… I can’t remember anything I’ve achieved in life that was easy.”

The decision to show herself online

Leona explains that many members of her community still live somewhat “in hiding”. Fear leads to resistance to openly identify as Roma.  She chose to challenge that by sharing her reality on social media, “I would be betraying myself if I stayed silent,” she says.

Her turning point came when she realized that, more than cruelty, ignorance was the biggest issue. “I understood that people simply know nothing about us. Within the Roma community, some people don’t like how much I share—but I tell them: “Their lack of knowledge is also our responsibility, because we don’t show ourselves. If people don’t know us, they’ll imagine all sorts of wrong things. We have to show them that it’s not like that.”

Identity and the digital fight

Although platform filters block many comments Leona still faces hate. “Some days I try to explain things, but most of the time I prefer to delete the hate and protect my well-being and my community.”

Despite the challenges, Leona strongly believes in the power of social media as a tool for change. She receives messages from people who admit they’ve rethought their prejudices and even how they raise their children after engaging with her content. She also speaks openly about mental health and self-esteem, creating a space where many feel seen and supported.

Creativity and authenticity

In a digital world shaped by artificial perfection, she makes a point of showing reality: the imperfections and emotions of everyday life. “We’re normal people,” she reminds us. And perhaps it is precisely this honesty that allows so many to connect with her journey, finding not only representation but also comfort and learning in her content.

Leona’s past includes difficult moments, marked by discrimination and abusive relationships. “I want to be the person I didn’t have,” she explains. This captures her purpose: transforming her experiences into something that can support and inspire others.  The desire to turn pain into support is what keeps her going.

A final message for young Roma women

“Be careful, but don’t let yourself be silenced. Fear is real, and speaking up can have consequences, but you have to find that courage. If someone tells me I can’t do something, I will do it. Afraid—but I will do it.”

With a light laugh, she adds that she “feels sorry for those who aren’t Roma,” celebrating the hospitality, loyalty, and intensity of her culture. “Our freedom is contagious,” she says.

For Leona, inclusion is a shared responsibility: it requires society to let go of prejudice, but also for the Roma community to open itself to connection. True change she says, happens in everyday life, through individual actions. ‘It has to be us,’ she repeats, referring to the importance of each person taking an active role in this transformation. She believes that only then will it be possible to look back and recognize the real progress.

Carolina joined the Anne Frank House through the European Voluntary Service.

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