Minority Council of the four autochthonous national minorities of Germany
Central Council of German Sinti and Roma
The Central Council of the German Sinti and Roma was founded in February 1982 and is the independent umbrella organisation for 17 regional associations. The Central Council is the civic and political representation of the German Sinti and Roma, based in Heidelberg. The Central Council is working for equal participation of the Sinti and Roma in politics and in society and for their support as a national minority.
In the framework of its civic activities the Central Council works for the implementation of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities on the national level and to this end it is having a permanent dialogue with the German Federal Government and the regional governments. The Central Council was able to achieve legal recognition for the German Sinti and Roma as a national minority. For the German Romanes language it achieved recognition as a minority language according to the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages of the Council of Europe. The Central Council supports meetings with survivors of the holocaust, is working to protect the graves of Sinti and Roma who were persecuted by the Nazis and regularly organises travels to historical memorial sites both in Germany and abroad.
On the international level the Central Council regularly represents the interests of the Sinti and Roma at conferences by the EU, the Council of Europe and the OSCE. The Central Council is member of several national and international minority organisations.
- Homepage of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma
- More information about the German Sinti and Roma
The representatives of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma in the Minority Council are Romani Rose and Herbert Heuss.
Romani Rose (* 1946)
Chair of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma
- until 1982 independent entrepreneur
- civil rights activist
- from 1982 chair of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma
Professional career and social involvement:
- from 1991 director of the Documentation and Cultural Centre of the German Sinti and Roma in Heidelberg
- member of the board of directors of the International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR), founded in 1988 in Tokyo
- in May 1995 Rose, in cooperation with the member associations of the Central Council, achieved recognition and support for the German Sinti and Roma as a national minority in Germany with a minority language of their own, and with the aim to participate equally in politic life and society
- as a result of his international work, Rose was appointed a member of the international Auschwitz-Council by the Polish government as the first representative of the Sinti and Roma on 29 May 2006
- member of the advisory council to the German Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency (ADS) and member of the board of trustees of the cultural foundation of the German Football Association (DFB) and the Manfred-Lautenschläger Foundation
Herbert Heuss (* 1954)
Scientific director of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma
- Political scientist
Professional career and social involvement:
- from 1981 active in the development of what was to become the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma, later planning and realisation of the Documentation and Cultural Centre of the German Sinti and Roma, until 1992 its scientific director
- 1992-2009 active as independent consultant in South-Eastern Europe: developing and implementing projects to support local Roma-groups
- from 2009 back in Germany at the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma
- several publications about the Nazi-persecution and the situation of Roma in Europe
Jara Kehl (*1976)
Politische Referentin des Zentralrates Deutscher Sinti und Roma
- Politikwissenschaftlerin
Studium der Politikwissenschaften an der Freien Universität in Berlin. Danach Tätigkeit für verschiedene Migrantenselbstorganisationen in Berlin. Unter anderem Leitung des beim Kurdistan Kultur und Hilfsverein e.V. angesiedelten Teilprojektes "bridge" – Berliner Netzwerke für Bleiberecht. Seit 2011 Politische Referentin des Zentralrates Deutscher Sinti und Roma in Heidelberg und dort zuständig für die Konzeption und Durchführung von Initiativen zur Minderheitenpolitik für die Anerkennung, Förderung und den Schutz der deutschen Sinti und Roma als nationale Minderheit.
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