The publication is reproduced in full below:
CELEBRATING THE HERITAGE OF ROMANI AMERICANS
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HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS
of florida
in the house of representatives
Thursday, March 18, 2021
Mr. HASTINGS. Madam Speaker, this body has long recognized the accomplishments, unique heritage, and rich diversity of cultures that make up the United States.
Roma have been part of every wave of European migration to the United States from the colonial period to the present day, coming from every part of Europe. There may be as many as a million Americans with some Romani ancestry, whether distant or more recent. Roma enrich the fabric of our nation, tie our country to Europe, and build the transatlantic bond.
Few cultures are as geographically diverse as the Romani people. Romani people trace their ancestry to the Indian subcontinent and settled throughout Europe roughly a thousand years ago. In some places, Roma were subject to expulsion or arrest solely because of their ethnicity. In the Wallachian and Moldovan principalities, Roma were enslaved by the crown, nobility, and monasteries until the founding of modem Romania. Sometimes Roma were subjected to forced assimilation.
Roma were among the many groups of people that suffered at the hands of the Nazis and their allies during World War II. At least 23,000 Roma were brought to Auschwitz; almost all of them perished in the gas chambers or from starvation, exhaustion, or disease. Some Roma also died at the hands of sadistic SS doctors, like Joseph Mengele, who performed inhumane medical experiments on Roma. Approximately 25,000 Roma were deported en masse from Romania to Transnistria by the Antonescu regime in 1942; at least 11,000 of them perished. The Romani collective farms in German-occupied Soviet territory became Romani mass grave sites. It is estimated that between 200,000 to 500,000 Romani people were killed in death camps and elsewhere throughout Europe.
As chairman of the Helsinki Commission, I have supported efforts to acknowledge this tragic past, including by ensuring that survivors and historians have access to relevant archives like those from Bad Arolsen and Lety. I've also ensured that Romani voices have been heard in the Commission's work to advance safe, equitable, and inclusive societies. I welcome the groundbreaking collaboration by the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard and the Voice of Roma to collect qualitative and quantitative data about the lived realities and challenges faced by American Roma.
Today I am re-introducing a resolution recognizing and celebrating the heritage of Romani Americans.
This resolution does four things. First, it celebrates Romani American Heritage. Second, it supports International Roma Day and the Department of State's robust engagement in related activities. April 8 marks ``International Roma Day'' around the world and is a day to celebrate Romani culture and raise awareness of the issues facing Romani people. Third, it commemorates the destruction of the ``Gypsy Family Camp'' at Auschwitz. Fourth, it commends the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum for its critically important role in promoting remembrance of the Holocaust and educating about the genocide of Roma.
Through this resolution, we celebrate our shared history and applaud the efforts to promote transnational cooperation among Roma at the historic First World Romani Congress on April 8, 1971.
I ask that you join me and cosponsor Chairman Gregory Meeks in supporting the resolution.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 51
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