Come and join us for what will be an unusual and informative program about the people we call “Gypsies” and you will have some answers to your questions about them. I think you will be fascinated by the information that you receive.

Why are they called Gypsies? Where did they come from? Why are they often hated? Why did the Nazis want them annihilated? Should we beware of them? Is “Gypsy” a derogatory name for them? Should we ever say “I was gypped!”?

This program will focus on the history of the Romani people, which will include the very first notice of them as they traveled to the Balkans. I have read that you will never have a basic understanding of these people until you know their history. At the end of the program, you will see a video of the Roma through the eyes of the Roma people.  

There will be many crafts that we have brought over from Romania that were made in a small Roma village in the northwest corner of Romania. You will be able to purchase some and all the money from the sales goes back to help the ladies who have made the hand bags and small items. Some of the money also goes into a medical fund for them.

The hand bags are made from vintage material woven on wooden hand looms by Romanian families during the Communist era 1942 to 1989. The Roma ladies have been taught to do embroidery work on the material and then they use sewing machines to put the bags together.

Please come and enjoy the evening with us. This program is presented by Friends of the Gypsy Roma a non-profit organization based in Manhattan, KS.