Map1_small

Free Roma Day

Content_458124

On the 31st of May 2011, the Medway Ethnic Minority Forum organised a 'Free Roma Day' in Chatham, Kent. The event was attended by various organisations who delivered workshops including a health and lifestyle team and the waste collection service among several others. The intention of the event was to make the Roma community in Medway aware of the services and amenities available to them through council schemes and deaprtments. After my colleague Zakirah and I spoke to the chairman of the Ethnic Minority Forum, I understood that this was an initiative in its early stages, and one of significant importance as the chairman felt that the forum had done much work with and for other minority communities who were now established, and the Roma community had a long way to go until we could reach the same conclusion.

By Jamal Mehmood | 21 June 2011

“Putting me into care didn't stop me being gypsy.”

Content_11571v1smzo34hx

What she didn’t know at the time was that this was part of an ‘ethnic cleansing’ programme initiated by the government carried out in the late 50s and early 60s.  It is believed that hundreds of children were removed from their parents during that period, just like Liz, and put into care homes.

Despite being thrown into eight care homes over the course of ten years, where she was forced to forget her roots, constantly criticized and ridiculed by those around her, she still holds her heritage close and strong. After facing constant abuse from the care homes she eventually decided to run away and become a Traveller, doing cash-in-hand jobs to survive on the streets.

By Nancy Kamal | 08 March 2011