End of a path

14 Sep

I understood that there are standards that I am unable to fit. Expectations I was and still am unable to meet. That my percentage of failures and wins is slowly but surely becoming frustrating not only for me but also for those that want things to change to the better within the Roma communities. I also understand that my articles and political stands can hurt the interests of some or most Roma groups due to many reasons.

Therefore, I am giving up being a Roma rights activist. I feel that I tried as hard as I could while I was involved in it. Obviously, I was not as successful as I wanted to be. I will not be part of any Roma organization and I do not intend to take part in anything dealing specifically with Roma. I will have no professional contacts with the Roma political or civil society but I will stay in touch with a few friends. I will continue to volunteer in the ghetto in Bucharest and will remain very involved in the political issues that I am passionate about – those related to children rights, populism and corruption.

I am not planning to talk or write more about the reasons for my decision or about what I will do next. I think most of you reading this already know about the challenges ahead for the Roma movement, and I know there are enough strong, smart and courageous activists ready to tackle these. I very much enjoyed working with some of them.

I know this might risks to seem as a call for attention. Far from it, I feel I received far more attention than I deserved. At the same time I do not want to have to repeat the last two paragraphs that have been my standard reply to people that wanted to find out  what happened.

I apologize to all of you that I will not reply or be in touch in the future.

6 Responses to “End of a path”

  1. George P. September 14, 2017 at 6:34 am #

    Valeriu, good luck on your path and try to enjoy as much you can!

    As a humble but critical follower I never had the feeling you didn’t met the others expectations. Much more, I seen you as a model and one exceptional person. So your decision to leave the path for a new one feels heavy for me. Doesn’t matter.

  2. Rocky's Dad September 14, 2017 at 8:17 am #

    It is a sad day for the Roma community which today is losing one of its most involved and best supporters. Sorry for your decision and good luck in the future!

  3. mariusgeorgescu56 September 14, 2017 at 5:20 pm #

    E semnificativ că un om care gîndește ca dvs-dacă mă iau după articolele din DILEMA- a ajuns să renunțe la activismul pentru romi.E trist dar,cred,inevitabil.

  4. Dana Chirila September 15, 2017 at 10:26 pm #

    So sad to hear it. But this decision is yours to make, and nobody else’s, so good luck with whatever your future will bring.

  5. Andrei costin victor September 18, 2017 at 11:41 am #

    If you go out of the constelation of roma organisations, you shall be replaced by another people of less quality than you..
    Politics are something antipatic, but that could be the only way to help more people than you can do directly
    Don t be pressed to give up
    Longtime ago, in 1995 1996 i vas in the Alternativa României Party and i have registrated the moment when enhousiastic members was replaced by people i teresed more by their political cariera.
    You presence in an organisation is a guarantee that this is not,, very bad ,,

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Get ready for #Story17 » The Power of Storytelling 2017: Closer - October 12, 2017

    […] Valeriu Nicolae: “Nu mai sunt activist rom“, an article in which Valeriu, a social change-maker who displays an impressive resume and a fierce determination to help people in need, especially Roma communities, explains why he decided to give up being a Roma activist. (A shorter English version on his blog). […]

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