Looking back and looking forward

What did O Porrajmos Education Society accomplish in 2012? Where will we go in 2013? What are our long-term goals? It's time to consider the past and look to the future; to learn from our victories as well as from our mistakes. After all, we are historians.

This past year brought the "Gypsy" Wagon Museum Display to new venues in Iowa as well as to visit old friends. The Wagon made its second appearance at the Summer of the Arts Global Village, a children's event held in Iowa City in June. This event holds a special place in our history, as it was the debut for the Wagon in 2011. Over 400 children and their parents had the opportunity to visit and explore the information on the Wagon and offer their support.

In July and August, the Wagon made numerous appearances at the Downtown Farmers Market in Cedar Raids, Iowa, where dozens of people joined the Society on our email list. The Farmers Market draws people in from may surrounding communities, so it is a welcome opportunity to share current events and talk with visitors about the Romani people.

The Wagon was scheduled to appear at Imagination Square in July as part of the Cedar Rapids Freedom Festival, but the threat of rain prevented set up. While we did have activities for the youngsters, we hope to return to Imagination Square in 2013 with the Wagon.

The Wagon also returned to the Linn County Fair in Central City this past July, surviving setup during a terrible storm that did some damage to the fair grounds. While it was a limited showing, the Wagon received more visitors this year than its appearance at the fair last year.

Ciuin Ferrin spoke at new venues this year as well as more familiar places. Besides lecturing at schools around Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, she had the opportunity to teach at the Linn County Genealogical Society, Beyond Rubies at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, and at the Midwest Open Air Museums Coordinating Council Conference hosted by Ushers Ferry in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

2012 also allowed Ciuin the opportunity to go to the University of Texas in Austin to work on a research project at the Romani Archive and Documentation Center run by Dr. Ian Hancock. Please keep your eyes on the blog as more posts are to come on the results of this trip.

Working with a graduate student at the University of Iowa, we were able to translate one DVD out of a set of 20. These DVDs hold as of yet unheard testimony from O Baro Porrajmos survivors. The rest of the DVDs should arrive soon and we will begin translation work immediately. Our goal is to create a documentary on the testimonies, the interviewer, and publish a book on the process of translation. Again, watch this blog in 2013 for updates.

So what does the New Year bring? More opportunities to share at venues around the Midwest.

We have expanded our outreach to include Minnesota, Nebraska, Missouri, and Illinois in hopes of taking the Wagon or lectures to new academic venues. We would like to thank Rapids Reproduction of Cedar Rapids Iowa for their assistance in this endeavor.

The translation project is an exciting work that has been in the making for over two years. We hope to have the DVDs soon so work on translation and transcription may begin. This is a momentous project and we are honored to be a part of it.

O Porrajmos Education Society is glad you have taken interest in our work. We thank you for your support. If Ciuin or the Wagon will be in your area, please stop by and say hello. We look forward to meeting you.

May you and yours have a joyous and prosperous New Year!

Just catching up

It has been awhile since I've posted, but my time is currently divided between teaching, my own studies, and planning a spring concert. I think I'm having fun doing it, but sometimes I'm not so sure.

I am on spring break from college, so I have taken the time to update my website and get some writing done. My book, titled Petty Theft, is about a young Rom serving in the underground in WWII in Poland. Now that it is complete, I get to search for a publisher.Keep checking my webpage for scenes from the book.

Next on my list of 'things to do' is write a research paper on the topic of the "Final Solution to the Gypsy Menace" during the Holocaust. I have been researching the topic for almost 10 years, so I think the paper will flow smoothly, but I am running out of time. The paper is due at the end of May.

I'll be doing some teaching in honor of International Romani Day this year. I have two lectures scheduled at two different local high schools on the 9th and one on the 8th. I'll be speaking about the Romani Holocaust and the aftershocks that are still being felt by Roma today. What students seem to find fascinating is how little they hear of any other groups that were affected by the Holocaust beyond the Jews. Often students refer to the Holocaust as 'the Jewish Holocaust', which always opens the door to show that genocide was not a one-time event.

Speaking of the Holocaust, the Auschwitz sign has been in the news once more. A Polish court found the three men who stole the sign guilty and the man who started this obscene act is in the process of being extradited from Sweden to Poland. If you are interested in the details, here's the link.

Time to get back to work. I promise to be more deligent in the future.