oprerroma

[oprerroma]

Murphy, a rescued bald eagle who is known for fiercely protecting a rock he considers his egg, will be getting the opportunity to become a father to an orphaned chick ❤️

[oprerroma]

[oprerroma]

hi, i'm sorry if this is a stupid or unwelcome question but i'm looking for some advice because i don't know if i navigated this situation correctly and if not, i want to improve. for context, i am white

someone (also white) sent a piece of writing with the g slur in the title so i told them (neutrally and nonconfrontationally) that it was a slur and they probably should avoid using it in the future and said that they could look at your blog for more information. a romani person in the server said it was not a slur and it was fine to use as long as it's not in a pejorative context so i apologized to them for overstepping. however, a romani person i was friends with awhile back also talked about it being a slur and i keep up with your blog from time to time and it seems to be the consensus overall but i don't really know if i was overstepping or should have done anything differently, and if i should just not say anything in the future. thank you for any information, i really appreciate the work that you do.

Some romani don't mind using the term gypsy for themselves and don't consider it a slur, others do not like the term and consider it a slur. My advice for gorger is to use romani unless the person specifies otherwise.

#romani #roma #rromani #rrumblr #romany

[oprerroma]

I'm really sorry to bother you with this or if this is a question you have to answer/say the same thing all the time, and if you don't know the answer I understand.

I've heard from my dad's side of the family many times that we have romani in us(a lot of us do have darker skin tones and some facial features that connect to romani), and I have some dna results connecting to where romani came from and traveled to. I even remember some things in my early childhood that is part of romani culture as well. I've been doing research and using the knowledge I have to make sure I wouldn't be lying if I said I have romani heritage for a while now.

The problem though is that months ago, my mom forced me to put in that I was full white on a covid-19 vaccine fill out form, no matter what I said. Does that mean I'm just white? Can I change that information in the future if it isn't fully true? And yes, I did try to look it up on Google and other places, no answers. At all. If I am just white though, I won't get upset, and I apologize again if this is too pushy or weird of me to ask.

For starters, there's nothing about your covid-19 vaccine form that makes you any race. Some white-passing rroma put other things on census forms and whatnot while being 100% full-blood Romani. Because it's common for rroma to not be on a racial census.

It's a thing that 'white passing' members of minority groups frequently do for safety reasons and that's probably what your mom was doing. It doesn't change your heritage at all.

I don't think you need to worry about your covid vaccine form. I've had both my doses and one booster now, and I've had to re-enter my race on the form every single visit. So you can change it to South Asian or whatever makes you feel the most comfortable on the form for the next dose.

And either way, nothing you could put on a form could change your ethnic heritage.

-mod gaby

[oprerroma]

Shop Open - Accepting Customs!

Hi! I have a couple of earring pairs up for sale on my BigCartel, as well as slots open for custom traditional Romani hair ribbons and custom beadwork. 

I’d really appreciate some aid right now, and this is how you can! In doing so, you’d be supporting an autistic, mixed race, queer trans person. I have a big selection for custom work and am happy to accommodate however I can to make the piece of your dreams 😌💕

Thank you!

#owner of this account! oprerroma #commissions open #commissions

[oprerroma]

White allies and white leftists and liberals need to read this.

In regards to posts about racism or intersectionality with race involved you MUST listen. Not respond. LISTEN

What I have seen so many white “allies” do is add onto posts (my own included) to put their own thoughts and opinions. In some cases take the words of the original poster and try to “translate” what is being said to other white people.

You are ACTIVELY taking away the voices of poc and speaking over them when you do this. When you tack on your own personal anecdotes or try to to give a definition of what a person or color is saying you are in the simplest of ways insulting their intelligence

#when we make posts just know every white reply to ‘help’ sends me into borderline fury #sometimes it makes it worse when you misinterpret it for others #JUST… cease i beg of you

[oprerroma]

Hey I saw your response to a different anon about tarot and I just wanted to say that many many many Romani who actually grew up with the traditions agree that white people shouldn't be using tarot. The history of tarot was indeed started as playing cards but Roma are the only ones who divined from it. There is still much descrimination today for doing traditional practices and seeing white girls living their dream doing tarot is extremely disrespectful. Seeing you call it racist for someone to call out CA was absolutely revolting. Please do not spread the hateful misinformation you are. Please listen to real Roma

Alright, I'm breaking character for this one because it involves me personally.

Again, as far as I know, saying tarot is endemic to romani culture is akin to saying moneylending is endemic to jewish culture.

As far as I am aware, the roma are not the only people to divine with tarot cards, and they did not invent the practice.

And again, the author of this blog is ethnically Romani. Although I am fairly isolated from the culture, I have access to people who aren’t. When I asked my culturally romani family members about this, they said they had never heard of this concept.

Now, that doesn’t inherently mean I am correct. I am completely open to the fact that I may be wrong about this. However, it does mean that I am going to have to ask for proof beyond “I saw some people say this somewhere“ because as far as I know, the earliest citation for romani people using tarot for divination people is from Elphias Levi’s Key of Mysteries (1861), and the earliest citation for divinatory tarot as we know it was from by Jean-Baptiste Alliette in approximately 1780, when he and Antoine Court published a guide for performing cartomancy with the Tarot of Marseilles.

Additionally, philosopher and tarot historian Michael Dummett noted, in his book The Game of Tarot. "it was only in the 1780s, when the practice of fortune-telling with regular playing cards had been well established for at least two decades, that anyone began to use the tarot pack for cartomancy.”

So, If you have a primary source on tarot being used for divination by romani people prior to 1780, I’ll have to reconsider.

[oprerroma]

The European Roma institute for arts and culture just released a 253 pages book on the romani resistance during World War II, written by a collective of European historians

It is available for free here

[oprerroma]

The European Roma institute for arts and culture just released a 253 pages book on the romani resistance during World War II, written by a collective of European historians

It is available for free here

[oprerroma]

My grandmother was Kalderash, and I'm proud of the heritage and culture she came from, but all of her family are dead, and since she married a white American, she didn't really raise my dad and his sisters in the culture. I only have some basic knowledge of the fact she was Kalderash, and some of her cooking, her very specific hygiene regimens (especially in the kitchen), a few swears and words, but otherwise, I don't know much. I'm very much mostly white/white passing, and I really want to connect more to my heritage, but I feel guilty, almost like I'm "not Rromani enough" or that I'm trying to claim something I don't deserve, and I don't know where to learn more- or if I even really should. Any advice on trying to connect and learn about my heritage? Or should I step back?

There's no such as 'not Romani enough,' we'd gone into how toxic blood quantums are before.

It's a personal thing if you feel Rroma enough to ID as 'Roma' but even if you don't, it's totally fine and wonderful and good to identify as someone with 'romani heritage'.

(In my own experience, that's how I personally feel about my jewish ancestry, I'm very proud of it, but it's only a very small percentage of my heritage, so I definitely don't feel like I'm ethnically jewish, but it's still my heritage).

But the bottoms line, you have every right to claim and explore your heritage, you don't have to step back at all.

I don't personally know of any Kalderash resources, but I'm hoping one of the other mods can add onto this with some.

-mod gaby

[oprerroma]

Today is Romani Day of Resistance

Keep us in your thoughts. To our Romani followers, you are a fighter just like your ancestors and fellow Roma — never stop fighting!

#rroma #romani #rromani #roma #rrumblr #romany #romani day of resistance

[oprerroma]

today, 8th of april, is the international rromani day. today the rroma are still subjected to discrimination, marginalisation and segregation. discrimination is widespread in every field of public and personal life, including access to public places, education, employment, health services and housing. the rroma community is still not regarded as an ethnic or national minority group in every member state (in europe) and thus it does not enjoy the rights pertaining to this status in all the countries concerned.

bring awareness of this issue. this is a map with that reflects the size of the rroma population in each european country.

Some sites to donate money to help to better the life of rroma communities:

Secretariado Gitano (Spain)

Roma Edutional Fund (International)

European Roma Grassroots Organisations Network (International)

Roma support group (UK)

@oprerroma has a lot of resources and organisations on her bio where you can donate to.

Feel free to add your paypal, cashapp, etc to this post if you're rroma. Also if you know of local/national organisations that accept donations add them to this post as well.

[oprerroma]

I’m not Roma, but Jewish, and wanted to send over my support!

We love & appreciate your support. :):)

-mod gaby

#Anonymous

[oprerroma]

10 Ways to Appreciate Romani Culture

1. Attend a Festival

Festivals are a great way to partake in a culture different from your own. Romani people have numerous festivals throughout the year, many of which are open events and welcoming to non-Roma participants. Festivals, such as the Appleby Horse Fair, Khamoro, and the California Herdeljezi Festival, are all great examples of open cultural events that allow you to actively participate in aspects of Romani culture.  For a list of some more Romani festivals, click here!

2. Consume Romani Media

Romani media is completely underrated. There are a plethora of great producers, actors, musicians, and radio personalities who are ethnic Roma. Consuming media is one way we can actively engage with and learn about another culture without being disrespectful. 

For a list of Romani media, click here!

3. Read a Book

Romani authors are plentiful, and with a larger-than-ever presence of Roma on the internet, Romani books and poetry are becoming much more accessible. There are numerous books that have been translated from the Romani language in English, Russian, Hungarian, French, Spanish, and various other languages. A quick internet search can now produce comprehensive lists of ethnic Romani authors. 

4. Buy Real “Gypsy” Fashion

Retailers, such as Romani Design, and the Tzigania Store, have made Romani-inspired clothing and jewelry accessible to and designed for both Roma and non-Roma. If you like traditional Romani motifs, purchasing clothing from a store like Romani Design not only supports ethnic Romani designers, but also allows you to consume Romani fashion in a way that is not appropriative. 

If you’d like to learn more about appropriation versus appreciation, click here!

5. Learn a Language

While Roma have varying opinions on non-Roma learning our language, generally speaking, learning a foreign language is one way to appreciate a different culture.There’s also the added benefit that knowing more than one language has been proven to positively impact brain function. There are several reputable books and websites that can assist in Romani language learning endeavors. 

6. Support Romani Art

Support Romani arts by purchasing Romani art, or going to galleries where Romani art is featured. As Roma, our traditional artwork is often overlooked and comes second to non-Romani depictions of us. Supporting Romani arts and efforts to preserve Romani arts has a profound impact on our communities, and allows you to appreciate Romani culture.  To learn more about Romani arts initiatives, click here!

7. Donate to Romani Causes

One way to appreciate Romani culture and ensure its preservation is to actively support Romani rights causes by donating to NGOs or participating in human rights events centered on Romani rights. There are numerous existing organizations that help Roma around the world. However, some of these organizations struggle to receive proper funding, or are promised funding that becomes tied up and “lost” by incompetent politicians.  For a list of Romani NGOs, click here!

8. Learn Our History

Learning about the history of our people and culture allows you to better appreciate it. Sometimes, history can help put culture into context. Why people continue to practice certain traditions can be as important as the tradition itself. Learning about the history of Romani people can also give non-Roma perspective as to why we keep certain aspects of our culture guarded. Understanding closed versus open cultures, and what that entails, can be a great way to show appreciation for a particular culture.  To learn more about Romani history, click here!

9. Listen to Music

Romani music is both diverse and beautiful. We have a rich musical history and our contributions to modern music genres are often underappreciated. We had a great influence in European classical music, as well as Jazz and Flamenco. Listening to Romani music is a great way to appreciate Romani culture. Some excellent musicians are Ando Drom, Esma Redzepova, Via Romen, and Gipsy Kings, among others. Check out this page for some more Romani musicians by country!

10. Lend an Ear

Sometimes the biggest appreciation we can give is to listen to people speak about their own culture. If we say something misrepresents us, or is offensive, it’s probably because it is. There are many depictions of Roma that are steeped in racism, whether we realize it or not. If members of the Romani community ask you to respect our culture, the biggest appreciation you can give is just listening to us. Listening to ethnic Roma speak about our culture, or reading and sharing articles written by ethnic Roma are both ways of appreciating Romani culture.

[oprerroma]

[oprerroma]

my dad's roma (sinti) but my mum's white and i'm incredibly white passing, am i still able to consider myself roma if i'm only half?

Yes,

You are allowed to call/consider yourself rroma.

I’m actually also half rroma (half basque). My dad is full blood, my mother is basque. I am not white passing, but I also wouldn’t say that makes that much of a difference (white passing privilege is a thorny issue in itself, because, while it does lend safety, having your identity erased isn’t really a privilege).

You absolutely have every right to your heritage and, we talk about blood quantums and how toxic they are here a lot, but since one of your parents is literally full blood, that doesn’t even apply to you. 

-mod gaby

#heritage #coffee-and-calendars

[oprerroma]

Hello! I’ve seen a lot of posts about Roma ancestry on here and this might have been answered already, but I personally have Roma ancestry (to be specific I think it’s like 1/64) so obviously I don’t feel that I qualify to call myself Roma. Is this the right feeling or am I contributing to the dangers of blood quantum and hurting my own identity? If the latter, do you think there are any lines that shouldn’t be crossed in terms of being part of that heritage? Thank you!

it’s such a personal thing to you how you choose to identify with your heritage. 

You’re definitely completely entitled to say you’re a person with Rroma heritage and to learn about your culture and fully participate in your culture as a Roma person. 

I definitely would say it has nothing to do with blood percentage and more to do with whether or not you were raised in the culture.

I am in a very similar position with my jewish ancestry, I’m only a very small percentage jewish, but the main reason I don’t consider myself to be jewish is because I wasn’t raised in the culture (my grandmother kept some traditions alive, but mainly, I was Roma and Catholic).

The one place I would say to step back is, it’s probably not the place of a person not raised in the culture to get into a critical discussion of the culture (such as discussions about the appropriate use of the g-slur, for example).

I would say, 100% explore and identify with your culture. Just don’t try to step on the toes of anyone who actually grew up in it, and you’ll be fine.

-mod gaby

#Anonymous