International Roma Day 2022

Happy International Roma Day to all the Roma communities throughout the world, to all the Roma who celebrate their incredibly rich and diverse identities, and to all the supporters, Roma and Roma allies, who dedicate their time and attention to bring visibility to Roma rights and history.

I cherish the celebration of International Roma Day even more this year, as the war in Ukraine reminds me of the deep connections between Roma rights, other minority groups’ rights and democratic structures. Our progress over the last few decades must not be taken for granted. The threats that now face these democratic structures should serve as a great motivator to continue the work we have begun.

Today, on International Roma Day, I am thrilled to share some good news with our friends and supporters: the Roma Peoples Project, an initiative that I founded and have led at Columbia University for the past five years, will be relocating to the Institute for the Study of Human Rights, also within Columbia University. My colleagues and I are very thankful to Columbia’s Center for Justice for providing an incubation space as we developed our platform, and we hope to continue to partner with them in a new capacity.

In other important and positive news, the Roma Peoples Project has received an internal grant at Columbia University, which will secure the program’s stability for this year. While much of our energy will be focused internally, as we settle into our new academic home, we will be hosting new public events this fall and will be keeping in touch with our community through our newsletter, website and social media.

These important milestones for the Roma Peoples Project would not have been possible without the incredible support of our growing community of partners, donors, volunteers, mentors and those who shared with us their thoughts and feelings about their Roma identities, family stories, and research.

Thank you to you all. Happy International Roma Day!