Roma Leaders to Watch
The July/August 2011 issue of Moment featured a story called “Invisible Roma” and two other pieces (“Roma in the Holcaust” and “Roma Life Today”) on the Roma people, better known as gypsies. We are proud of these stories, written by Ben Judah and Symi Rom-Rymer, that address the ongoing discrimination against the Roma. One reader, however, wrote a letter to the editor pointing out that Judah’s story disseminated old stereotypes of the Roma people and failed to tell the story of Roma activists who have transcended these stereotypes and are fighting to change the lives of their people. He was concerned that our story unnecessarily fed the negative perceptions that exist about the Roma. While we believe our coverage has helped raise awareness of the plight of the Roma, the reader had a good point....