On December 8, the US Senate passed a bi-partisan resolution “celebrating the heritage of Romani Americans” and honoring Romani history, culture and contributions to human progress.
The passage of the resolution – the result of years of activism and lobbying by Romani people and our allies – is an important step in our long struggle to have Romani history and heritage officially recognized and respected in the United States. Although there is reason to rejoice in this important resolution, however, our work is far from finished.
I am not American-born, but as a Romani person who has lived in the US for many years, I have experienced and witnessed the harmful consequences of the prejudices of the American public about the Romani people, history and culture.
I moved from Romania – where my people faced centuries of racism, discrimination and institutionalized violence – to the US to attend Harvard University in 2012. Given the rich scholarship on racism in the US, I thought I would enter the environment where I would be . surrounded by people who know about anti-Roma ideas and know very well about its many manifestations.
I realized soon enough that my assumption was not correct. Some of the people I met here, despite having a nuanced understanding of racism, ideology and its manifestations, casually spoke of the myth of “g*psy criminality” as a fact or alluded to a specific Romani “lifestyle”.
One day when I was leaving class, for example, a fellow student asked me if my family had the same “lifestyle” as the characters in the reality TV series Gypsy Sisters – one of the very popular American spin-offs. British series Big Fat Gypsy Weddings. His interest in my culture is genuine, but like many of his compatriots, his perception of the Romani people has been distorted by the transatlantic migration of anti-Romani sentiments and the amplification of damaging stereotypes on television.
In a 2020 study my colleagues at the Harvard FXB Center for Health and Human Rights and I collaborated with Voice of Roma, two-thirds of Romani Americans interviewed agreed that American television shows portray Roma people negatively. Indeed, shows such as My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding present violence, vulgarity and early marriage as characteristic of Romani culture. Episodes of such series have titles like Birthday Party Turns into a Massive Fight, G*psy Truck Fight, and even Mama Bear Attacks the Bride.
Not only do so-called “reality series” focus on Roma, but many American TV shows and movies portray Romani people as one-dimensional g*psy stereotypes. They abuse us, as the Romani-American film director George Eli once said, “as mystical beings, vampires, vagabonds, nomadic beggars, criminals, thieves, or pickpockets”. In fact, they not only blame the Roman culture as vulgar, inferior and violent but also sensationalize it so that they can exploit it to their advantage.
This constant blaming and sensationalization affects the daily reality of Romani Americans. One Roma interviewed for the 2020 study told us that the school environment, in particular, “is worse now that teachers can see My Fat Gypsy Wedding”. “They think that our children are worthless trash, that they don’t deserve to be educated or protected in school.” Other Romani Americans agreed that their children have suffered because of racist portrayals of Roma as subhuman or Romani girls as over-sexual. They say many Romani children drop out of school because of bullying related to their ethnicity and explain that such incidents lead them to advise their children to hide their ethnic identity and keep the anti-Roma prejudice they encounter in silence.
Of course, anti-Roma discrimination in the US has not been invented by reality TV executives. Today’s exploitative TV programs simply amplify deep-rooted prejudices and allow them to spread further than ever before. A few decades ago, in the Change in Social Standing polls of 1964 and 1989, American adults were rated “g*psies” as having the lowest “social standing.” In fact, they rate Romani people, along with Mexicans and Puerto Ricans, lower than their coined ethnic group, “Wisians”.
Of course, anti-Roma prejudice does not stand alone. As is the case elsewhere in the world, cultural and racial prejudices against Romani people justify and increase harmful discriminatory actions such as racial profiling, institutional neglect and disrespect for members of our community.
So, it’s time for a change. The recent Senate resolution celebrating the heritage of Romani Americans is a good starting point, but we need more. We must stop the exploitation of Roma culture and socialization to destroy Roma stereotypes in popular culture. One of the ways to achieve this could be by ensuring that Romani people take a leading role in writing, producing, directing and acting in tv series and movies. We need American policy to take meaningful action so we can take back control of our identity, history and heritage – and we can, finally, feel like Roman Americans who are valued and respected members of American society.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of Al Jazeera.
What ethnicity are Gypsies?
Roma (Gypsies) originated in the Punjab region of northern India as a nomadic people and entered Europe between the eighth and tenth centuries C.E.. They were called "Gypsies" because the Europeans mistakenly believed that they came from Egypt. this minority consists of different groups called "tribes" or "nation."
What is the DNA of Gypsies? Genetic studies based on Y chromosome markers and mitochondrial DNA confirmed the South Asian origin of the Roma. Read also : Longevity is important for heart health, according to new recommendations. Y-chromosome markers M82 (H1a) and mtDNA haplogroups M5a1, M18 and M35b, which are characteristic of South Asian ancestors, are typical in the Roma population [8, 9].
What nationality are the Gypsies?
81.6% of people from the Gypsy or Irish Traveler ethnic group were born in the UK, and 6.1% in other countries in the UK. 3.0% were born in Ireland and 8.3% were born elsewhere in Europe (other than the UK and Ireland). Less than 1.0% of Gypsy or Irish Traveler people were born outside Europe.
Is Gypsies an ethnic group?
Romany Gypsies and Irish Travelers are legally recognized as an ethnic group, and are protected from discrimination by the Race Relations Act (1976, amended 2000) and the Human Rights Act (1998). Read also : Slovenia National Day – US State Department.
Is Romani similar to Italian?
Romanian is a Romance language, belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European language family, having many similarities with languages such as Italian, Spanish, French and Portuguese. To see also : Website: Your Online Site | After business | Chase.com. Compared to other Romance languages, Romanian’s closest relative is Italian.
Do Romania and Italy understand each other? They do not understand each other, although one can grasp some meaning.
Which language is most similar to Italian?
According to many sources, Italian is the closest language to Latin in terms of vocabulary. According to Ethnologue, the lexical similarity is 89% with French, 87% with Catalan, 85% with Sardinian, 82% with Spanish, 80% with Portuguese, 78% with Ladin, 77% with Romanian.
Do Romanian people speak Italian?
In the villages of Romania, there are many Italian speakers, from those who work temporarily in this country. Otherwise, Italian is not much studied in Romania, but it is easy to understand.
Why does Romanian sound like Italian?
It’s easy: because it’s Latin. Since Roman times, in the area of Romania and Italy today, Latin has developed in different ways under the influence of different migratory or imperialist forces, but, at the same time, Latin has been maintained as the language spoken by the majority of people.
What is the life expectancy of a Gypsy?
Life expectancy for Gypsy and Traveler men and women is 10 years lower than the national average. Gypsy and Traveler mothers are 20 times more likely than the rest of the population to experience the death of a child.
What is the life expectancy of Travelers? Data from the All-Ireland Travelers Health Study shows that male Travelers have a life expectancy of just 63 years (vs 78 in the general population). For female Travelers, the figure is 71 years (vs. 82 in the general population). This means Irish Travelers die about 11-15 years earlier than the general population.
What does a Gypsy do for a living?
To earn a living today, gypsies can weave furniture, make bricks, resell clothes and goods, or trade horses, but work is usually a side note in their existence. Sources repeatedly stressed the difficulty of Roma people to get regular jobs because employers often do not want to hire them.
Why do Travellers have poor health?
Discrimination, poor living conditions, low educational outcomes, high unemployment and difficulty accessing health services contribute to this. Infant mortality of travelers is estimated at 14.1 per 1,000 live births. This compares to 3.9 per 1,000 live births among the general population.
What religion do most Gypsies follow?
The Roma do not follow a single faith, but Catholic Manouche, Merceros, and Sinti; Muslim Ashkali and Romanlar; Pentecostal Kalderash and Lovari; The Protestant Traveller; Anglican Gypsies; and the Baptists of Rome.
What does Gypsy believe? “Gypsy people and traveling people have a very strong faith. Every one of them believes in God through Jesus Christ,” says Billy Welch. He is the organizer of the Appleby Horse Fair, in Cumbria, one of the most important events in the gypsy and traveler calendar.
What nationality are Gypsy?
81.6% of people from the Gypsy or Irish Traveler ethnic group were born in the UK, and 6.1% in other countries in the UK. 3.0% were born in Ireland and 8.3% were born elsewhere in Europe (other than the UK and Ireland). Less than 1.0% of Gypsy or Irish Traveler people were born outside Europe.
What makes a person a Gypsy?
Gyp·âsy Ëjip-sÄ plural of Gypsies. sometimes offensive : one of the people came from India to Europe in the 14th or 15th century and lived and maintained a wandering way of life. : a sense of romance 2.
