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BIPOC Guide

Information & resources for racial, ethnic and religious minorities to navigate the EUI and Florence

This non-exhaustive list has been put together by members of the POC subgroup of the Decolonising Initiative. Don't hesitate to share missing information to help improving and keeping this guide up to date for the community.

  • POC Sub-group (DI) & researchers contacts
    There is a sub-group within the DI which has been working on the wellbeing of POC at the EUI. They are available to be contacted individually for informal support, questions or to join the group. Contact: Irina Muñoz (LAW), Sanyia Amraoui (LAW), Gildelen Atybiyo (LAW), Raghavi Viswanath (LAW), Daphné Budasz (HEC), Fartun Mohamed (HEC), Ruth Gbikpi (Library).
    Contact: [email protected]

  • Black History Month at the EUI
    Researchers from African descent have been organizing events and activities for BHM at the EUI. Please write us to help or get involved (White allies welcome).
    Contact: Ruth Gbikpi, Daphné Budasz, Gildelen Atybiyo, Fartun Mohamed

  • Dean for Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

  • Harassment Committee

  • Middle East Directions Programme
    The MEDirections research programme is hosted at EUI by the Schuman Centre and promotes multidisciplinary research on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with research output and publications in both English and Arabic.
    Contact: [email protected]

  • EUI Working Group on Palestine
    A collective of researchers, fellows, and professors at the EUI working on or around the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt).
    Contact: Daniel Rozenberg, Revital Madar, Youssef Mnaili

  • African Diaspora Cinema Festival (IT/EN) Film festival in Florence (early summer)

  • Entre dos MundosFlorence Ibero-American film festival 
    Film festival organised by “Vivarte”, a cultural lab that proposes itself as a bridge between the cultures of Latin America and the local, Italian and Florentine one. Its activities are based on the values of active participation and the fight against discrimination through culture. Vivarte is a young and bottom-up initiative, promoting the artistic and cultural forms of Latin America as a powerful means of communication to break down geographical boundaries and social stereotypes.

  • Middle East Now Festival (EN/IT)
    Festival of cinema, documentaries, visual arts, music, culinary events and meetings, dedicated to the contemporary Middle East, is back. Middle East Now is organized by Map of Creation, a non-profit cultural association based in Florence and active in the production of documentary films and the realization of cultural events.

  • Association Amir (mostly IT)

    Florence based association organizing events and cultural mediation activities led by citizens of foreign origins.

  • BHMF (Black History Month Florence) & The Recovery Plan (IT/EN)
    IG: @bhmf_ /
    FB: Black History Month FlorenceFounded in 2016 in Florence, BHMF is a cross institutional network for black cultural production. BHMF takes place in February each year, but many activities, events and exhibitions are organised along the year. The Recovery Plan (SRISA, Via Santa Reparata 19r in Florence) was inaugurated in September 2021. Following pop up versions of the center in 2019 and 2020, The Recovery Plan is a research center that fosters transnational exchange around Afrodescendent cultures and peoples employing research, production and documentation in relation to cultural production as a means for examining the history and contemporary legacy of Blackness in a global context

  • Postcolonial Italy, Mapping colonial Heritage (EN/IT)
    Founded in 2018 in Florence, Postcolonial Italy is public history project on Italian colonial history and its traces in public spaces. The interactive map aims at capturing and documenting material traces that are visible in the public space and, thus, stimulating a public debate on Italy’s silenced colonial history. An audio-guide for the city of Florence is available online.

  • Casa do Brasil em Florença
    Brazilian community project in Florence.

  • Festi-Expo Latinoamerican
    Annual cultural event (usually July) with free admission at the Stadio Ceretti (Campo di Marte), organized by the association "Asì es Peru - Centro Cultural Arte y Sport". Several Latin American countries are represented here for a week of immersion in Latin American culture through food, crafts, music/dance, children’s activities and cultural and social events.

  • Coordinamento Antirazzista Italiano (IT)
    IG: @coordinamento.antirazzista
    FB: Coordinamento Antirazzista Italiano A network of antiracist activists across Italy
  • Il Razzismo è une Brutta Storia (IT)
    An anti-racist association doing cultural and educational projects in Italy. Their website includes many resources (in Italian).

  • CHAMPS (IT) Italian anti-racist project (coordinated by AMREF and supported by the EU) focusing on anti-Black discrimination. Their website (in Italian) includes several toolkits that can be downloaded. https://stop-afrofobia.org/toolkit/

  • Cronachediordinariorazzismo.org (IT/EN)
    An information and communication website dedicated to the phenomenon of racism in Italy

  • Chinese Students and Scholars Union in Florence'. You can follow their official account, "意大利佛罗伦萨学联CSSUF," on WeChat where practical information and interesting events are shared regularly.

  • Njinga Mbande: Associazione Studenti Angolani (UniFi), Angolan student association at the University of Florence that organises community events.

  • Associazione Colombianos en Toscana
    Colombian diaspora association whose main purpose is the diffusion of Colombian and Latin American traditions and cultural expression in Tuscany and to empower the community. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/545263665845362

  • Associazione Colombia es
    Colombian diaspora association organising cultural events and activities for the Colombian and Latin American community in Florence.
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/colombiaes.italia
    Email: [email protected]

  • Chorale Africaine de Florence
    African choir in Florence: "We sing at mass every third Sunday of the month at 5pm at the San Donato church in Novoli (restarting in October after the summer break). We also organise concerts, we participate in cultural events in Florence, and we can be booked for weddings, baptisms and funerals. The choir members are Cameroonian, Senegalese, Congolese, Togolese and from Burkina Faso. If you are interested in joining the choir or booking for an event, contact Eunice: +39 329 852 3971 (only Whatsapp messages, no calls please)

  • Assopace Palestina
    Organisation advocating for Palestinian Human Rights, with a base in Florence, organising events independently and with the local and regional councils (e.g. https://www.comune.fi.it/comunicati-stampa/la-difesa-dei-diritti-umani-palestina)
    Email: [email protected]

  • Associazione di Amicizia Italo-Palestinese
    Palestinian diaspora association organising cultural events, social and healthcare support and solidarity for the Palestinian Community in Florence.
    Facebook

Muslim

  • Moschea di Firenze Centro - Mosque of Florence Centre, Borgo Allegri, 64-66 red, 50122 Firenze, FI, new building coming soon, still on piazza dei ciompi.
  • Moschea di Sorgane, Via Livenza, 3, 50126 Firenze FI
  • Facebook Muslim community group in Florence
  • Giovani Musulmani d’Italia (GMI). Italian Muslim youth association Instagram: @gmi.italia
  • Centro Islamico Culturale di Prato, Vicolo de' Gherardacci, 14, 59100 Prato PO, +39057430495

Jewish

Christian

Every third Sunday of the month, the Congolese Community celebrates the Holy Mass at 5 pm chaired by our vice-parish priest Father Joseph Tsongo. The choir of the Francophone community animates the mass with songs in the four national languages of Congo.

Halal Food

  • Macelleria Halal (Viale dei Mille, 88. 50131 Firenze, +39 329 1792938)
  • Macelleria Alimentari (Via della Rondinella, 50135 Firenze, +39 333 1430450)
  • Pak Halal Minimarket Macelleria (Via Nazionale, 125/R, 50123 Firenze)
  • Halal Butchers (Via dei Neri, 59r, 50122 Firenze FI, +393887341356)

Hairdressers

  • Black Queen Fashion (Via Panicale 14R. 50123 Firenze, +39 3384708638)

Miscellaneous (per neighbourhood)

-Le Cure / Statuto / Novoli / Rifredi / Coverciano / Beccaria

  • Vinesh Alimentari (Via Agnolo Firenzuola, 26, 50133 Firenze FI)- Indian food
  • [name unknown] (Via Antonio Pacinotti, between 31R and 19/21R, 50133 Firenze) - predominantly Latin-American
  • Mu Lan Market (Via Pietro Toselli, 81, 50144 Firenze FI) - East-Asian/Indian/African/Latin-American Supermarket, widest assortment in the city, but farthest from centre
  • AdVie Spezie Alimentari (Via Fra’ Giovanni Angelico 53B, 50121 FI) - MENA product
  • Prabodha Foodland Firenze (Via S Bandini, Piazza Leopoldo) - predominantly Asian food product

- Centro storico

  • Mercato Centrale di San Lorenzo - best option for fresh products from all over the world! (mornings only)
  • Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio - Fruit/Veg vendors outside often have imported produce! (mornings only)
  • Royalty Multiethnic Shop (via del Ponte alle Mosse, 116/rosso, 50144 Firenze) – Supermarket with diverse food, African hair products etc.
  • Altromercato Firenze Bottega - Il Villaggio dei Popoli (Via dei Pilastri, 45/R, 50121 Firenze) - Fairtrade shop
  • Egyptian shop (via dei neri 33)
  • Best food (via Panicale 26/r) - Indian/African
  • Titas alimentari (via Panicale 22) - Indian/African
  • Rachid grocery (via Panicale 16/r) - Indian/African
  • Vivi market (via del Giglio 20) - predominantly East-Asian
  • Supermercato della fortuna (via Sant’Antonino 21/r) - East-Asian
  • Felicità asian supermarket (via sant’antonino 35r) - East-Asian
  • MoohooMart, (via pietrapiana 86/r) - predominantly East-Asian)
  • Market jackt (via dell’agnolo 71/r) - Asian
  • [unknown name] (via dell'Albero, 13, 50123 Firenze) - Tiny shop, African products and more 

- Oltrarno

  • Arvind Govind Bhatia (via San Frediano, westmost part of the street) - predominantly Indian
  • Asia market spezie e alimentari (via sant agostino 4) - Asian

Kosher

  • Ba Ghetto (Via Luigi Carlo Farini, 5r, 50121 Firenze FI)
  • Ruth's Kosher Jewish Restaurant (Via Luigi Carlo Farini, 2a, 50121 Firenze FI)

Indian

  • Aroma of India (via Sant’Antonino 39/r)
  • Crown of India (via Faennza 102/R)
  • Indian Palace (via Guelfa 96/R )
  • Royal India (via Guelfa 90/R)
  • Haveli (viale Rosselli Fratelli)
  • India (Fiesole)
  • Gusto 3 (viale dei mille 58/r) - Fastfood, also curry
  • Miglior Kebap (piazza delle cure) + (via lungo l’affrico 116, coverciano) - Fastfood, also curry
  • Indian (via Panicale 18) - Fastfood, also curry

East-Asian

  • Impressione Di Chongqing (via Sant'Antonino, 34r, 50123 Firenze) - Szechuanese Chinese
  • Ba Shifu (via dei rondinelli 24/r - Szechuanese Chinese
  • Le sorgenti (via chiara 6) - Chinese
  • Gangnam (via GUelfa 94/r) - Korean
  • Goong (Borgo Ognissanti 68/r - Korean
  • Ravioli Wang (via Francesco baracca 1f) - Dim Sum
  • Com Saigon (via dell’agnolo 93/r) - Vietnamese

MENA

  • Rosticceria Marocchina (Piazza del Mercato Centrale, 9, 50123 Firenze) - Halal
  • Atomic Falafel (Via Camillo Cavour, 116 rosso, 50121 Firenze) – Halal, Palestinian
  • Ararat (Borgo la Croce, 32R, 50121 Firenze) – Armenian
  • Tehran (via dei cerchi 25/r) - Iranian
  • I re d’Egitto (via della scala 49/r) - Fastfood, but more varied garnish options than most standard kebabs e.g. hummus, eggplants
  • Ristorante Cherlot (via Faentina, 1, 50014 Ponte Alla Badia FI) – Moroccan

Latin American

  • El Tiburon (Borgo Ognissanti 146/r) - Peruvian
  • Raices latin food (via del sole 23/r) - Venezuelan
  • L’Areperia (via della Mosca 1/R-3/r) - Venezuelan
  • La cucina de mama (via del ponte di mezzo 27-29) - Peruvian

LEYENDO PINTO
Creative storytime: through art workshops held in Spanish and Italian, children learn about Colombian history and culture. Organised by the Colombian diaspora association “Colombia es” in different places around Florence. Contact: [email protected]

La casa encantada
Story-telling events for children organised by “Colombianos en Toscana”: “A magical place where characters with costumes tell stories, fairy tales and anecdotes in Spanish, accompanying children in a fantastic world that allows them to return to their roots and fall in love with our language.”

This section is under construction. If you know medical professionals in Florence safe for BIPOC as well as places that offer anti-racist mental health support, please contact us.

Libreria GRIOT (via S. Cecilia 1/a,00153 Rome)
Italian bookshop in Rome dedicated to African and Middle Eastern literature, postcolonial, diaspora and migration topics

 

UNAR: National Office Against Racial Discrimination in Italy


Page last updated on 12/09/2023

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