 An encampment of Roma people on the outskirts of Portland, Oregon, 1905 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| est. 1,000,000[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, Chicago, Boston, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Seattle, and Portland as well as in rural areas in Texas and Arkansas[2] | |
| Languages | |
| American English, Spanish, Romani, Angloromani, Caló | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity, Islam, Romani folklore |
Romani Americans (Romani: romani-amerikani) are Americans who have full or partial Romani ancestry. It is estimated that there are one million Romani people in the United States. Though the Romani population in the United States has largely assimilated into American society, the largest concentrations are in Southern California, the Pacific Northwest, Southwestern United States, Texas, Louisiana, Florida and the Northeast as well as in cities such as Chicago, Cleveland, and St. Louis.[1][3]
The Romani or Roma are a nomadic ethnic group, often pejoratively referred to as Gypsies, who have been in the Americas since the first Romani people reportedly arrived on Christopher Columbus’ third voyage in 1498.[4][5] The largest wave of Romani immigrants came from the Balkans, Transylvania, Wallachia and Moldavia region in the late 19th century following the abolition of slavery in Romania in 1864.[6][7] Romani immigration to the United States has continued at a steady rate ever since, with an increase of Romani immigration occurring in the late 20th century following the Porajmos in Nazi Germany and its occupied European territories and then the collapse of communism in Central and Eastern Europe.[1]
The size of the Romani American population and the absence of a historical and cultural presence, such as the Romani have in Europe, make Americans largely unaware of the existence of the Romani as a people.[1] The term's lack of significance within the United States prevents many Romani from using the term around non-Romani: identifying themselves by nationality rather than heritage.[8] It seems that the United States lacks the structures and stories for Romani people to own as their heritage, something that would make their identity more visible as an individual group.[9]
There has been an increased consciousness of the existence of the Roma as an American people after the Cold War, but there remains a sense of mythology around the group.[5] An announcement made on New York television station WABC referred to Romani people as 'real live Gypsies', suggesting a question mark on their existence.[8]
Most Romani Americans live in the United States's biggest cities, where the greatest economic opportunities exist. Romani Americans practice many different religions, usually based on the version of Christianity common in their country of origin, but fundamentalist Christian denominations have been growing in popularity among them.[10]
The Roma live in populous cities such as New York City, Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Seattle, Las Vegas, Miami,[11] and Portland as well as in rural areas in Florida, Texas, Arkansas, Etc.[12][13][14]
- ^ a b c d Webley, Kayla (October 13, 2010). "Hounded in Europe, Roma in the U.S. Keep a Low Profile". Time Magazine. Archived from the original on October 19, 2010.
- ^ Roma literature in USA and Canada
- ^ Berry, Lynn (February 19, 1995). "Business - Gypsies Trying To Change Stereotyped Image -- Some Practice Their Ancient Culture Secretly". Seattle Times.
- ^ "Romani Realities in The United States" (PDF). Harvard University. November 24, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
- ^ a b Deutsch, James (April 8, 2022). "Romani Rights and the Roosevelts: The Case of Steve Kaslov". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
- ^ "Roma slavery in Romania - a history". July 7, 2021.
- ^ "Wallachia and Moldavia". Retrieved December 12, 2023.
- ^ a b Kates, Glenn; Gergely, Valer (April 7, 2011). "For Roma, Life in US Has Challenges: People commonly known as 'Gypsies' face stereotyping, discrimination". Voice of America.
- ^ Ostendorf, Ann (March 16, 2022). "Romani History is American History". Early American Studies Miscellany. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ Cortés, Carlos E. (August 15, 2013). Multicultural America: A Multimedia Encyclopedia. SAGE Publications. p. 1850. ISBN 9781506332789.
- ^ Dregni, Michael (April 4, 2008). Gypsy Jazz: In Search of Django Reinhardt and the Soul of Gypsy Swing. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 978-0-19-531192-1.
- ^ "Roma literature in USA and Canada - RomArchive". www.romarchive.eu. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
- ^ "ROMANI". case.edu. Case Western Reserve University. May 16, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
- ^ Heald Phd, Bruce D. (November 27, 2012). Gypsies of the White Mountains: History of a Nomadic Culture. Arcadia. ISBN 978-1-61423-804-1.