The Right of Education

I've been watching the chatter on various Internet based Romani networks about the US's recent decision to participate in the Decade of Roma Inclusion as an observer state, signed on February 6.

There are those who feel this is a crucial step for the US, a step that recognizes the state of the Romanies in Europe and the need for their protection, education, and inclusion. There are also those who feel this is just another piece of paper, more ink on a page, that will go no where.

We have had our share of paper, that is certain. We've had more conferences, symposiums, meetings, summits, round tables, discussion groups, and think tanks than can possibly do any good. And now we have the Decade of Roma Inclusion. Several meetings that scribbled a lot of words on paper and countries started to sign it.

And, alas, I feel that is where the good part ended.

Those countries signed on have been some of the worst violators of our human rights in recent years. If the Decade has done any good, it has brought to light the obscenities in Europe. It has not stopped them.

I feel it is time for us, the Romani people, to take a stand for ourselves. It is time for us to mobilize, to act in our own best interests, and to deal with these issues. But what are the issues and what are their priorities? I feel there is but one key issue that will help a man with his other problems.

 Education. Education is power. It is that simple. Without it, you are at the mercy of the educated and they can dictate your life to you. They can stamp you with an identity, create their own version of your history, and force you and your children into a cycle of poverty. But what subjects do you really need to know? This is a question faced by educators around the world. A basic education should be the ability to read, to perform basic mathematics, and to know your rights. If you can read and do the math, you can work. If you know your human rights, you can protect yourself. You can defend yourself.

Why should we bother to learn about our human rights? Because these rights are recognized by the same countries who violate them and the UN and other signing nations have a duty to make sure these are enforced. These rights are valid because everyone is born to them. They are not earned, as some politicians would have us think. They are not given to one 'race' and denied to another as the Nazis would have us think. They belong to everyone.

The history of human rights can be traced back a few hundred years to the abolitionists. They began a true movement against the disgusting practice of the slave trade. The first step for them was to recognize the suffering of their fellow human beings and then they had to take the step to ensure change. It wasn't easy.

Think on this a moment. Who were the owners of the slaves? In some countries, where Romanies were slaves, it was the crown and the church who owned slaves. The people in the highest realms of power in both the temporal and spiritual world. In the United States, it was the wealthy plantation owners, the leaders of industry, that owned the slaves. They were the economic captains who needed cheap labor to make their money. The same in Britain. Abolitionists were fighting an uphill battle against the powers that be.

They began a campaign that started small. They wrote essays and pamphlets and gave speeches and sermons to sway public opinion. When the people, the average citizen, started to understand the principle that freedom is a right to be given to everyone, then the ball started rolling and there was no way to stop it. Laws forbidding the trade of slaves were passed, though this did not end slavery altogether. We know that in the States, it took a war to end slavery, though slavery was NOT the only reason why we went to war with our fellow citizens.

When slavery was abolished, several things happened all at once. The freed slave discovered that, while he was no longer a slave, he had few, if any rights. He also became a second-class citizen, subjected to hatred and violence. Racism and segregation replaced slavery and blacks in the United States still fight to this day to be called equals.

Something else came out of the Abolitionist movement: women's rights. Many women had fought the good fight to free the slaves and realized they were little better off than the newly freed slave. Women began to fight for the right to vote, to have status in the courts against abusive husbands, and to have the right to own property, among other demands. Women's rights have come along way, but, just like the black man, women have a long road ahead.

World War I began, the War to End all Wars. If only. In this war, mankind found new ways to kill the enemy, ways that were far more grotesque than ever before. We managed to create a whole new world of nightmares, of ways to suffer and die, forcing medicine to make up the balance. Advances in medicine grew from the violence of a new way of warfare. But from this, there came a desire to protect the rights of the soldier. Activists discovered that for every 1,000 horses, there were 4 veterinarians, yet only 1 doctor for the same number of soldiers. From this, came the rights of the soldier and the Red Cross.

We know that the peace between WWI and WWII was more of a ceasefire. The Nazis had to put the blame somewhere, so they pointed to the Jew and the Gypsy for bringing foreign blood to Europe, blamed the Jews for the economic conditions, and taught their children to hate. We know the results. The Holocaust. Over 6 million Jews and about 1-2 million Romanies died side by side in the gas chambers for the crime of being born.

The atrocities committed by the Nazis set the stage for the creation of the UN in hopes that differences between countries could be solved by more peaceful debate. And the UN created the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to protect the citizens of the world in our vow of "Never Again." These rights became subject to law through ratification by the signing countries.

So what are they? This has been taken directly from the UN. Please note the emphasis are mine.

PREAMBLE

Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,
Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,
Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,
Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,
Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,
Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge,
Now, Therefore THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.

Article 1.

• All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2.

• Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

Article 3.

• Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 4.

• No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

Article 5.

• No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 6.

• Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

Article 7.

• All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

Article 8.

• Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.

Article 9.

• No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Article 10.

• Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.

Article 11.

• (1) Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.
• (2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.

Article 12.

• No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

Article 13.

• (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
• (2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

Article 14.

• (1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
• (2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 15.

• (1) Everyone has the right to a nationality.
• (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.

Article 16.

• (1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
• (2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
• (3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

Article 17.

• (1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
• (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.

Article 18.

• Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Article 19.

• Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Article 20.

• (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
• (2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.

Article 21.

• (1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
• (2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.
• (3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.

Article 22.

• Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.

Article 23.

• (1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
• (2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
• (3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
• (4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

Article 24.

• Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.

Article 25.

• (1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
• (2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

Article 26.

• (1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
• (2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
• (3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

Article 27.

• (1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
• (2) Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.

Article 28.

• Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.

Article 29.

• (1) Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.
• (2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.
• (3) These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 30.

• Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.

Consider these carefully. Have you noticed that these are not being taken into consideration by all countries? The Czech Republic is a perfect example. Not only are they breaking multiple articles when it comes to the Romani people, but it is the Czech Republic who is on the committee for writing human rights policy for the UN!

All Romanies need to know their rights and how to exercise them. We, as world citizens, must help those who cannot help themselves. We must find a way to create educational programs that can assist Romanies in all countries to defend their rights.

It can be done. Like the first activists, we have to take that step from just thinking that something is unjust and act upon it. Find a way to help. Be a part of our own solution.

Holocaust Remembrance Day

In 1935, Hitler issued the Nuremburg Laws, declaring both Jew and Gypsy were ineligible citizens in the Reich because of impure bloodlines. Himmler organized the death camps and killing squads and Jews and Gypsies died side by side in the gas chambers.  6 million Jews and 3 to 5 million Gypsies were murdered due to race. The atrocities the Russians discovered at Auschwitz laid the foundation for the definition of genocide adopted by the UN in 1948.

Since then, Holocaust scholars have forgotten about the Rromanies, known as “Gypsies,” allowing history to repeat itself. European politicians blame them for a poor economy and crime. In the Czech Republic, Rromani children aren’t allowed to attend public schools and over 90,000 Rromani women have been sterilized since 1980. Italy fingerprinted and photographed the Rromani in 2008. Neo-Nazis in Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, and Italy murder Rromani with near impunity. Germany, France, and Italy deport the Rromani, and England practices illegal evictions.

In October of 2011, Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Right for the Council of Europe declared “The importance of teaching about Roma history cannot be overemphasized. [r]aising awareness of the Roma genocide and building … memorial sites are the least states could do to honor Roma victims.”

The UN declared January 27 ‘International Holocaust Remembrance Day’ to “[c]ondemn ‘without reserve’ all manifestations of religious intolerance, incitement, harassment or violence against persons or communities based on ethnic origin or religious belief, whenever they occur." Yet Rromanies will not be allowed to participate in the UN’s ceremony.

Rromanies aren’t usually allowed inside the gates of Auschwitz for their ceremonies either. The Rromani have been told their participation would “dishonor the memory of the true victims.”

The Holocaust didn’t happen in a bubble. Please remember all victims on January 27 and reject intolerance.

Dina Gottliebova Babbitt and the Failure of Auschwitz

The more research I do into the watercolor paintings by Dina Gottliebova Babbitt, the more I am astonished at man's capacity for cruelty, his total disregard for the well-being of his fellow man, and his eagerness to ignore the truth, to remain blind to reality due to bias and race, two useless ideologies.

I wish I were talking about Nazi Germany and the beginnings of Auschwitz when Mengele was free to carry out his pseudoscientific experiments and the gas chambers were functioning , but I am not. I am referring to current events in our time, events occurring daily.

Dinah Gottliebova was a 19 year-old Jewish Czech art student in Prague when she and her mother were arrested and later sent to Auschwitz. Dinah had always been interested in art and while at Auschwitz, she was asked to paint murals on walls to help calm frightened children. She painted characters from the last movie she had seen before her arrest, the figures of Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

The mural got the attention of SS Captain Dr. Josef Mengele who needed an artist to help him with his work. He called for Dinah and ordered her to paint portraits of subjects who were to be sent to the gas chambers. He wanted the color of their skin to be represented and he found the new science of color photography lacked the ability to capture the subtle tones. Color film was in its infancy and was very unreliable. The primary colors tended to be too bright, making it impossible to capture true colors and images Dr. Mengele needed for his research.

He ordered Dinah to paint and she agreed if he would spare her and her mother. He agreed and Dinah set up shop. She also painted portraits for other officers, usually from photographs they brought to her. One day she was asked to paint the portraits of seven Roma who were to be sent to gas chambers. Dinah complied.

Auschwitz was liberated and Dinah and her mother went to Paris where she met an American artist, Art Babbitt. Coincidentally, Art had worked on Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and the couple fell in love and were married. They lived in California where Dinah Gottliebova, now Dina Babbitt, worked for various art studios with her husband.

In 1973, she was contacted by Auschwitz and told they had found the watercolors of the seven Roma victims. Dina flew to Poland to collect her work, but was told by Auschwitz curators that they believed the art was too important to be separated from the collection and they intended to keep it. Devastated, Dina returned home and began a lawsuit that would go all the way to Congress.

In 2002, Congress declared the watercolors were the rightful property of Dina Babbitt and asked the Secretary of State and the President to work with the Polish government to convince Auschwitz t return the watercolors to Dina. Dina passed away in 2009 and as of this writing, Auschwitz-Birkenau still has the watercolors which are not, to the best of our knowledge, on public display. Dina's heirs continue her fight to have the watercolors returned to her.

Enter the Deniers. These racists follow the same principles as the Nazis and would love to see the Jews, Rromani, and other 'lower forms of life' destroyed, yet they deny the Holocaust ever happened. It was once thought that if Holocaust scholars gave any attention to the Deniers, that their ideas would eventually fall by the wayside. It was also believed that arguing with them gave credence to their arguments, but thank goodness Holocaust institutions no longer believe this is the case. Deniers have increased in number as they spread their hate and stupidity to the younger generations.

The Deniers claim that this case is yet another piece of evidence that the Holocaust never happened. You will need to hold on tight for this leap of logic because it gets very bumpy.

Deniers claim three points against this story. Let's take a closer look at them.

1. Children were not allowed at Auschwitz. Why was the Snow White mural necessary if children were not permitted to live at Auschwitz?

Answer: Children were often used in Mengele's experiments. He often used twins or Rromani children in his experiments. Children were easily managed and placated and were just as easily disposed of. Children as young as 12 and 13 were put to work alongside adults in forced labor brigades as well, sometimes needed because of their small size for tunneling work. Not every child was disposed of the moment they arrived at Auschwitz. Reading Mengele's work proves this. Also, when their was a "Gypsy" family camp at Auschwitz, families were allowed to remain together since the Rromani often fought to keep their children. The SS knew they were outmanned at Auschwitz and could not afford a riot. To keep the peace, they kept Rromani families together.

2. Mengele claimed color photography could not capture the colors he needed. Color photography should have been better than watercolors.

Answer: Color film, even Kodachrome, was not an exact science. Certain colors dominated the resulting picture while other colors were washed out. If Mengele were after specific colors and hues, color film would not have benefited him.

3. If the Holocaust did happen, as Auschwitz supposedly claims, then its survivors should be treated with respect. If Dina Babbitt was the creator of the watercolors, shouldn't Auschwitz show her the respect she deserves and return them to her? How can seven portraits be so important to the collection?

Answer: While I disagree with Auschwitz's claim on the portraits, I can understand their logic. From a historical context, everything at the Museum is critical to represent and educate visitors on the daily life in the camp. Also, the Museum has (I hope) spent a lot of money to ensure the paintings are protected and preserved, money that would be wasted if the paintings were to fall apart at the hands of a lesser experienced institution. I will point out here that it was Dina's wish that the paintings go on display at an American museum, so I would assume such a museum would have the necessary funding and resources to protect and preserve the watercolors. In short, the museum views these as artifacts, needed for educational use. If they were on display, I might have more sympathy for their argument.

While I fully support the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum as an institution for preserving not only the truth and history of the Holocaust, but the memory of those who were murdered there, I feel their handling of this case is sad and unreasonable.

Other Holocaust museums, including the United States Holocaust Memorial and Museum, have used replicas and recreations in their collections to maximize the experience and education of every visitor to their museums. Visitors understand that there are few objects remaining from the Holocaust and therefore they would be understanding and mindful if copies were used.

Auschwitz could easily return the paintings to their rightful owner and use replicas in place of the real ones. There is no need to victimize Dina a second time. Auschwitz, above all other institutions, should be more in tune to the needs and emotions of the survivors. I hope that Auschwitz will realize the damage they are doing and allow the paintings to be returned to the Babbitt family.

The word "Gypsy"

In the next few days I will explain the history of the Romani, or "Gypsies". But lets start with 'Romani 101'.

Our first lessson: The word Gypsy.

The word 'Gypsy' is a shortened form of the word "Egyptian". When the Romani first entered Europe, they discovered the need for an explanation of their appearance. THe Crusades were in progress and many people saw the dark skinned new-comers dressed in exotic attire as spies of the Muslims. The Romani often claimed they came from a place called 'Little Egypt' and used stories with a biblical ring to them to satisfy their host countries and to protect themselves.

The word soon came to have a different meaning. As Europe began to mistrust the 'Gypsies', claiming they brought the Plague and other diseases, the word became associated, as it is today, with thieves, vagabonds, and other dregs of society.

The word is considered by many Romani as a racial slur, while other Romani don't care which word you use, as long as it is used in respect. To promote strength and positive association, I prefer the word Romani, even though I use "Gypsy" in the title of this blog. The reason is simple. Few people even know the word "Roma" or "Romani" even exist. For the sake of those who don't know, I use the word "Gypsy" in the title.