A living archive of interviews and biographical research, preserving and highlighting Roma success stories and shifting the narrative. These are the stories of Roma people whose lives speak to what is possible. Made freely available to anyone who wishes to listen.
The world holds, somewhere, a record of every kind of accomplishment: scientists, doctors, architects, writers, scholars, athletes, musicians of extraordinary talent. Among the Roma, there are many. But their stories are rarely told.
In some cases, successful Roma actively choose not to disclose their heritage — the cost of being known has, historically, been too high. The consequence is twofold: young Roma grow up without role models who look like them, speak their language, or know their grandparents' songs. And the rest of the world — for whom the Roma remain largely a stereotype — is denied the chance to learn from a people whose contributions to art, science, and public life are profound and continuing.
The Roma Voices Archive seeks to close this gap one conversation at a time. Through long-form interviews, biographical research, and historical recovery, the project gathers and preserves these stories — and makes them freely available to anyone who wishes to listen.
The work is conducted in collaboration with the Roma Education Fund and the ROM Archives, and was founded by Isabella Mazzi, a high school student at Phillips Academy whose interest in Roma life began with her own family's story.
The Roma are a people of remarkable continuity. Linguists trace their origins to northern India, from which they migrated westward more than a thousand years ago, carrying with them a language whose grammar still holds Sanskrit at its root. Today they live in nearly every country of Europe, and across the Americas, the Middle East, and beyond.
The contributions of Roma artists, scholars, scientists, and tradespeople have shaped national cultures for centuries — though the contributions are not always credited, and the contributors not always named. From flamenco in Andalusia to brass band traditions in the Balkans, from jazz manouche in Paris to literary Roma in Berlin, Roma creativity is everywhere woven into the cultural fabric of the places they have lived.
The Roma flag, blue above green with a sixteen-spoke red wheel at its center, was adopted in 1971. The wheel evokes the chakra; the green, the earth; the blue, the sky. It is the flag of a people who have known both flight and home — and who, increasingly, are claiming the right to tell their own story.
This archive is one part of that telling.
Each entry below contains a biography, an audio recording of the conversation, a full transcript, and a brief summary. Click any name to enter the record.
This archive is built one conversation at a time. We welcome nominations of Roma people whose stories deserve to be heard, offers from those willing to be interviewed, volunteer translators and transcribers, and partnerships with researchers, institutions, and community organizations.