Your charming and considerate opinion is duly--and dully--noted. You are correct that I am not full-blooded. I'm somewhat over a quarter Romani, in fact, being Sinti on my mother's side and Czech Roma on my father's. Our DNA has recently been evaluated, tracing us directly back to India, so if you want to say I'm not a true Romni, go ahead. My blood and family heritage say otherwise. As for your line "jes cuz you great great grandma told you sum Gypsy thing, so waht?" One of my great-great Romani grandmothers was killed by Ellis Island; the other, thanks to WWII, we don't even know what happened to her--and thank you very much for implying insults at the dead! The daughter of the first mentioned, my great-grandmother, Anna, was a traditional Romani herb healer. The son of the second was driven out of his hometown in Moravia by the Gadje community specifically because he dared to go against the way they expected Roma to act. My family has never been ashamed of our heritage. Indeed, having lost roughly 30 people in Porrejmos, we wouldn't dare feel shame for what we are, for it would be a diservice to the dead. And how dare you presume to know ANYTHING about my ancestors or ancestresses; about my family in general! Most of my family's so dark-skinned we routinely get mistaken for Native American and Mexican; have gotten constant racism because of what we either are or are perceived as being. My father, in his youth, was even mistaken for being an actual Indian from India, he was so dark--so how dare you disdain us, you pompous toad! You want to insult me and say that I'm not good enough to talk to? Fine. But DO NOT insult my ancestors or my family. Many were Rom and Romnis with pride and self-respect--and a great deal more compassion, evidently, than you are capable of! Roma means "human beings." I came here to talk with human beings. And, sincerely, I assure you, I'll survive your ignoring me, for, quite simply, you do not demonstrate the caliber of humanity of those I would wish to speak to. G.
Dear P. Lee,
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