Census, American Roma may keep their heritage under wraps, but when it does emerge, they’ve faced discrimination from friends, landlords, waiters, classmates, strangers, cops, store clerks, and professors. Guitarist Django Reinhardt was Romani, and some theorize such disparate icons as Charlie Chaplin, Michael Caine, Elvis Presley, and even former President Bill Clinton come from Roma roots. And the Roma count a number of high-profile figures in their ranks. But few Americans realize that there are Roma living in their midst, or that they’ve been here since the beginning-three Roma are said to have accompanied Columbus on his second voyage to the New World. In the U.S., they’re scattered: coming from a multitude of countries, speaking many dialects, practicing disparate traditions, and observing various levels of traditionalism.
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