Romani Americans in Chicago
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Romani people (Gypsies) in Chicago are an ethnic group in the Chicago area. Around 5,000 to 10,000 Roma reside in the Chicago area.[1] Romani people first came to Chicago in the 1880s.
In 2023, the Romani flag was raised for International Romani Day in Chicago. Representatives from the Cook County Human Rights Commission acknowledged continued efforts to lessen prejudice against Roma during this occasion and reaffirmed their commitment to working hard to defend the civil rights of all people, especially those of Romani descent.[2]
The Roma initially came to Chicago during the large waves of Eastern and Southern European immigration in the 1880s until World War I. Two Romani subgroups settled in Chicago, the Lovari and the Kalderash. It was not until the 1970s that Gypsies from Eastern Europe arrived in Chicago in large numbers. After assisting 102 Yugoslav Gypsies in breaking into the United States illegally, a Mexican smuggler left them in the desert in Arizona in 1974. For this group, the American Gypsy community provided up legal assistance and convened a tribunal to decide where to settle them. Chicago was selected because it could house more fortunetellers in downtown areas and because the new arrivals were Machwaya. These latest immigrants have thoroughly assimilated into Chicago Gypsy society through marriages with American Machwaya.[3]
Notable people[edit]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "GYPSIES: THE LAST OUTSIDERS". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2023-04-14.
- ^ "International Roma Day in Chicago".
- ^ "Gypsies". www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org. Retrieved 2023-04-14.
External links[edit]
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