The Invisible Minority — Part 6: A Modern Problem
Roma rights need to be addressed, and the wider population needs to support them.
By Celeste W. and Kathryn M. Edited by Doug G., and Alicia R. (Keywords: Human Rights, Slavery, Romany, Roma, Gypsy, Romani, Minorities, injustice, Racism, Social Justice, Human Rights, Systemic Discrimination) This is part of a series. (Previous: Part 5: Persecution and Institutional Discrimination)(Next: Part 7: What You Can Do)
21st Century Discrimination
Roma and Romani communities face continued discrimination even in the 21st century. This is an ongoing problem, even though many are blind to this reality.
In 2002, Madalin Voicu said, “Our gypsies are stupid. They could at least be crafty, but they aren’t. They are just primitives, and they manage to irritate the entire society which is already watching them closely”. His blatantly racist statement was quoted in newspapers but received little international backlash. (http://www.errc.org/roma-rights-journal/being-a-gypsy-the-worst-social-stigma-in-romania)
Advocates say the Roma are often denied housing, employment, and education. Modern Romani people in Europe each have stories of how they have faced discrimination. (https://www.cnn.com/2013/10/21/world/europe/roma-discrimination/index.html) (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-roma-rights-idUSKCN1RK01Y)
The State Department of the United States calls out the discrimination and hate crimes against Roma in its reports on other countries, even if most Americans are completely unaware of this. (https://www.state.gov/reports/2018-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/slovakia/) (https://www.csce.gov/international-impact/events/human-rights-situation-roma-europes-largest-ethnic-minority)
Europeans don’t want “gypsies” to live next door to them. Only drug addicts, heavy drinkers, and people with criminal records were thought to be worse. And in Europe, Roma have higher child mortality rates and a shorter life expectancy. (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-roma-rights/roma-people-10-ways-europes-biggest-minority-faces-discrimination-idUSKCN1RK01Y)
The U.S.
The United States is not a safe haven. Depending on the part of the United States, Roma can face discrimination. Many Americans associate the Roma or “gypsies” with negative behaviors and are unaware that they are an ethnic group with a rich history. (https://www.voanews.com/usa/roma-life-us-has-challenges) (https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2011/6/6/roma-the-hidden-americans)(https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2020/12/20/romani-americans-struggle-with-inherent-criminality-stereotypes)
20th-century laws still haunt Roma living today. In 1912, New Jersey adopted anti-Roma laws; those laws would not be repealed until 1998. That means many Roma alive today couldn’t legally live in the State of New Jersey for most of the 20th century because of a blatantly racist law. And this law was repealed less than 30 years ago. (https://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/03/nyregion/lawmakers-approve-repeal-of-law-regulating-gypsies.html) These laws of the not too distant past forced many Romani families into hiding. The families didn’t pass down their history out of fear.. This impacts visibility because families lose their identities.
The discrimination didn’t end 30 years ago
In 2021, a Florida couple was denied an apartment because the landlord assumed they were of Romani heritage. This couple was not Roma, but the landlord went by stereotypes and proactively discriminated against them. The landlord said, “I looked up your bloodlines, and it turns out you have gypsies in your lineage”. When asked why he thought they were “gypsies”, the landlord was reported to have said, “‘Because you’re performers and that’s what gypsies do: they perform around the world, they steal money, they kidnap people, they sell them into slavery”. Not only did the landlord use gypsy, which is often considered a slur, but he associated ethnicity with negative stereotypes. His reaction was the epitome of racism. (https://wsvn.com/news/help-me-howard/landlord-refuses-couple-miami-beach-apartment-calls-them-gypsies/)
The white couple was able to hire a lawyer and went public. Something someone with Romani heritage may have been unwilling and also unable to do. They may not have been able to afford a lawyer due to high poverty rates among Roma. Many Roma also have fear of authority, and fear of reprisal, due to the centuries of state-sanctioned discrimination, that may have prevented them from reporting this crime.
The authors are aware of several unreported racially motivated crimes against Romani individuals that were never reported to the police because of these fears.
Roma as an ethnic category does not appear on the US census; nor does it appear on most medical forms, employment forms, or any other questionnaire that asks about ethnicity or race in the United States. The UK recently added the option to the census form. (https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2021/3/19/hold-uk-roma-census-2021)
Evictions in Europe
In the 2010s, several Romani communities in Italy were forcefully evicted. Their homes were bulldozed without enough warning and were not provided alternative housing. The Roma have been living in Italy for centuries and were featured in Renaissance paintings. Under Italian law, they were supposed to be assisted and helped into new housing. This removal violated those regulations. This small community was targeted because they were Roma.
This is not the only time that Romani communities were evicted unlawfully either. Roma homes are still being bulldozed and destroyed illegally all over Europe. (http://www.errc.org/news/bulldozers-homelessness-and-hate-speech-a-week-in-the-life-of-the-roma-in-turin)
These are crimes in the local community but often receive little to no international attention. They also often go unpunished and it is the Roma who pay the price.
Romani Children are Kidnaped
There are negative stereotypes about Romani stealing children. “Gypsies’’ stealing children is a popular Hollywood and fairy tale trope. Rumors about Roma stealing children have sparked violence as recently as 2019. This myth hurts Roma because the opposite is often true where Romani children are the ones who are kidnapped. (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/28/world/europe/roma-kidnap-rumors-france.html (https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/26/world/europe/for-the-roma-fears-of-kidnapping-in-europe-only-mirror-their-own.html)
European Romani have European heritage. Some Romani children, due to recessive genes; are born paler than their parents with blue eyes, green eyes, blonde hair, red hair, or a combination of pale eyes and pale hair. There were some well-documented and publicized cases in Ireland where Romani children were taken from their biological parents because they had light skin, light eyes, and light hair, unlike their parents. Unlike many Roma, the parents in Ireland were able to afford a lawyer and a DNA test. Many Romani families do not have the resources to get their children back. And the children are abducted by the state and adopted by white parents. (http://www.errc.org/roma-rights-journal/forced-removal-of-romani-children-from-the-care-of-their-families)(https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28105099)
A Child Suffered and Died Because She Was Roma
In December of 2021, near Athens, Greece, an 8-year-old Romani girl named Ogla, who had gotten away from her family was crushed to death in front of many people. The girl died as 6 or 7 people watched her slowly suffocating after a gate was closed on her.
She was crying and moaning in pain for over an hour and no one, including the adult who kicked her to see if she was still alive, helped her. The gate was opened and shut again after she was pinned to it. There was a blatant disregard for her life. If one of the many onlookers had helped her she most likely would have lived. The child died slowly and painfully. She was trapped there for over an hour.
The factory workers left her to die because she was Romani. (https://news.tvs-24.com/world/89350.html).
This didn’t make the American news.
Covid 19
The global pandemic has made life for almost everyone harder. Roma are no exception. Covid has not only led to death and long-term disability at a higher rate among Romani populations, but has widened the gap in healthcare, education, and has increased stigma. Issues like lack of running water, lack of resources for sanitation have made keeping the virus at bay harder for these communities despite traditions of cleanliness. In some countries, Roma have become scapegoats, and are blamed for the virus spread. There is an extra police presence in communities that already face police brutality because of fears that Roma will spread Covid 19.
Romani people often work as day laborers and have been hit harder than the general population with layoffs.
(https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-hungary-roma/falling-like-flies-hungarys-roma-community-pleads-for-covid-help-idUSKBN2BN2R7) (https://www.hhrjournal.org/2020/04/anti-roma-racism-is-spiraling-during-covid-19-pandemic/) (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/11/europes-marginalised-roma-people-hit-hard-by-coronavirus)
Hope and Progress
Like any other group, stereotypes are not the whole story. There has been some progress made in fighting against discrimination.
While few, there are Roma actors and actresses who are visible. There are a few movies and stories that feature Roma and are focused on real romani stories. (https://m.imdb.com/list/ls021735420/) Jill Hennessy, Fairuza Balk, who both played in both television and movies, are of mixed Romani heritage. Alba Flores Is a well-known Spanish actress with a long list of credits to her name. Francesca Ruscio is a young American actress, born in Philadelphia, who is also of Roma heritage. (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8353152/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm)
The Open Society Foundations has spearheaded Roma rights. The European Roma Rights Centre is fighting injustice against Roma. They have the Roma Education Fund as well to close the gap and help Roma access education opportunities. (https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/explainers/roma-and-open-society)
There is some work being done to address racism by bringing attention to it. This includes work done by well-known universities like Harvard. (https://fxb.harvard.edu/2020/04/30/standing-up-against-anti-romani-racism-covid19/)
Roma have achieved success. Brazil has had political leaders of Romani heritage. Juscelino Kubitschek was of Roma descent. He was a Brazilian politician and was the 21st President of Brazil. Juscelino Kubitschek served from 1956 to 1961. He was generally well regarded, as his term was stable, and Brazil had economic prosperity during his presidency. (https://library.brown.edu/create/fivecenturiesofchange/chapters/chapter-6/presidents/juscelino-kubitschek/)
The Dikhlo Collective is a small shop on Etsy that sells Roma items in a positive, uplifting way. This shop also has supported some Roma communities through charitable giving.
Ian Hancock is a Romani scholar and author whose work has brought more awareness to the plight and hardship of the Romani people. He earned a PhD from the University of London. He attended and spoke at the first World Romani Conference. He does public appearances and provides his expertise in order to bring attention to Roma and Romani struggles. (https://www.romarchive.eu/en/collection/p/ian-hancock/)
Conclusion
Roma have few means to advocate for themselves. They face discrimination in finding employment, in education, and in accessing services. They have little access to money. Hollywood portrays them as “others’’ and perpetuates negative stereotypes. The slur used against them has been used to erase them.
It will take outside awareness and support to ensure that Roma are treated with equity. Roma are siblings, parents, friends, neighbors, professionals, and most importantly, they are humans. They deserve respect and dignity.
As a society, we need to be proactive about supporting Roma and be aware of the history of atrocity and human rights violations that are continuing to impact this population negatively. We must hold Hollywood accountable for the negative portrayal of an ethnic group.
Change is possible if people are aware of the history of the Roma and are willing to stand up for the Romani people.
This is part of a series. (Part 1: The Romani People)(Part 2: History)(Part 3: Hollywood)(Part 4: Culture, Pop Culture, and Home)(Part 5: Persecution and Institutional Discrimination)(Part 7: What You Can Do)
