The following is an excerpt from the original blog article via On The Vine Creative, by Stephanie Rexroth:
Addendum: another body of research, advocating to 'Break the Spell'
Break the Spell
Advocating for an end to anti-Gypsy discrimination
While there have been many stories told to bring light to and an end to the severe persecution of specific groups, others are almost completely untold. 'Gypsys' are an example are those persecuted, often to the point of 'unsung genocide' proportions.
It's easy to think, 'that was the past,' in our politically-correct society of tolerance, but the discrimination does indeed live on today.
The most visible and easy to see physical embodiment the negative sentiments toward this group are those Romani dispersed throughout East European; gathered in camps on the outskirts of town where poverty runs rampant.
Less detectable, the discrimination takes the form of prejudgment and suspicion, either assumed or outwardly spoken messages like 'Guard your wallet... there are gypsy pick-pocketers everywhere here.' -- a message I was specifically told while in Siberia.
But, most culturally derogatory and damaging are simple idioms that are prevalent in our society ('I've been gypped'). They are casually used without much thought in context, yet subversively those little messages promote negative perceptions; ingraining damaging prejudices deep in the psyche.
It's time for their stories to have a voice and to shed light on the anti-Gypsy discrimination that continues to hold Romani in a vicious cycle of disenfranchisement to this day.
