OPES staff were very busy this weekend. The Wagon Display, along side an old fashioned tent, went on display at the Cedar County Historical Society in Iowa on Saturday. The Wagon was fitted with two new text panels explaining the history of the Rromani in Iowa, including one panel on how the Rromani were often vilified in the newspapers. The tent is a replica of tents that could have been used by Rromani in America and is furnished with items from 1890-1915.
Educational Director Ciuin Ferrin spent the day cooking for 75 people over a fire pit, taking the opportunity to talk to guests not only about Rromani in Iowa but around the world. Most visitors were surprised to learn Rromani currently live in the United States and that to be "Gypsy" was not a choice, that someone cannot wake up in the morning and decide they are now Rromani.
The standard thought among most guests was that one chose to be "Gypsy" and that "Gypsies" were people who didn't want to settle down, to work, or to take on normal responsibilities any other citizen would have to take on. Most were eager to learn the truth about the Rromani, and not just in Iowa, but around the world. A few asked what could be done and how they could help. Some even donated financially.
It was a successful and rewarding day and we hope eyes were opened to the condition of the Rromani not only locally, but world wide.
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