[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 51 (Thursday, March 18, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E267]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              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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