First ever Roma Holocaust Exhibit in the US

The World Roma Federation held the very first Roma Holocaust (Porajmos) Exhibit in the United States commemorating the sacrifices made by the Roma people under the Nazi occupation of Europe. Between 1935 to 1945 the Roma were rounded up and expelled to work camps. At these work camps i.e., death camps the Roma people were experimented on, shamed, ostracized, subjected to obscene and inhumane tortures, abuses, and eventually sent to gas chambers.

The Holocaust was administered under the total absolution protocol the cleansing of inferior non-Aryan races from Europe in the hopes to maintain the pure strain. The concept emerged somewhere in the 19th century in its absolution form the term Aryan described anyone of Indo-European descent. Define Indo-European and determining race factors it is an illogical concept and to abstract to theorize as there is no evidence to either prove or debunk the existence of the Aryan race being the sole derivative of European ancestry.

To expand upon this irrational determinative used to factor purification of the race the Roma people of central and eastern Europe are considered Aryan as they are of Indo-European descent. As are the Poles and Slavic people who also suffered immensely under Nazi rule. Therefore, the agenda of the Nazis to use a very broad term in context to race to discern as a “purification” indicator for Europeanism egocentricities is rather moot. A European is a European regardless of where his or her ancestors migrated.

The exhibit was a forum to showcase Roma culture, art, history, stories, memories of Europe before and after the Porajmos. It is here that the identity of the Roma as a people can be felt, embraced, and shared. The exhibit expanded on what was lost.

Images above display the artwork exhibits hand painted by Roma artists.

Continual Exhibits will be hosted in the future.