LOSÓ GYÖRGYNÉ MELINDA (BUDAPEST)
President of the Association for the Integration of the Roma of Kispest
She came to Budapest from a rural gypsy family and became involved in the everyday life of Kispest as a hairdresser. Her workshop quickly became an informal community space, and her community organizing work gradually grew beyond the scope of her business. She carries out her civic activities alongside her breadwinner work on a voluntary basis and with a strong local patriotic commitment.
In 2007, she founded the Association for the Integration of the Roma in Kispest, of which she is still the president today. The association researches and presents the memories of the former coexistence of Hungarian, Roma and Jewish families in Kispest. They explore the history of the district's gypsy musicians and restaurants, as well as the events of the deportation of the local Jewish community of about four thousand people. The results of their research are published in publications with local government support, and their presentations and discussions are held in the local Szabó Ervin Library.
The association also initiates the creation of memorial sites and plaques. With their participation, Aladár Pege became the namesake of a public space, a memorial plaque was placed at the Kispest railway station in honor of the victims of the deportation, and a plaque preserves the memory of the martyrs of the Roma Holocaust. They organize an annual memorial pilgrimage to the sites of the 1944 tragedy.
In her work, Roma and Jewish memory are not separate stories, but part of the shared past of Kispest. Her events, publications and memorials not only commemorate the victims of the Holocaust, but also return the names of peacetime workers, craftsmen and artists to the local community. Her activities were recognized with the Miklós Radnóti Anti-Racist Award in 2013.
For me, the most important thing in my job is – the candidate wrote
I was born into a musical gypsy family and have lived my whole life in Kispest. I have been working with people as a hairdresser for over fifty years and have learned that trust, attention and respect for each other are just as important as professional knowledge. I have always believed that I am responsible not only for my own life, but also for my community.
That is why I do this work: I want to strengthen the dialogue between Roma and non-Roma people, preserve our common stories, and pass on to younger generations the values that connect us. It is important to me that we remember our past in a dignified way, be proud of our roots, and work for each other to create a more accepting, humane community. I believe that we cannot control where we are born, but we can control what kind of people we become. This belief gives me strength and motivation for my daily work.
References
Interview with Melinda Losó Györgyné
She has been working as a hairdresser for fifty years, but in the meantime she has become a cultural
Building community while cutting hair - Losó Györgyné Melinda – Good things https://youtu.be/dtV51dfQMOw