By Gentylia Lee – co-founder of the Women’s Romany-Gypsy Empowerment Network (WREN), and Author of the book The Mystery In Being A Gypsy.
For too long, the stories about Romany-Gypsies have been told and shaped by professionals, researchers, journalists, and the policy makers – who speak about us and make decisions on behalf of us rather than with us. Intentions may often be good, but the result is that our voices, our experiences, and our solutions are pushed to the margins. Community-led advocacy changes that. It gives us back ownership of our stories, the right to define ourselves, and more importantly it’s where the changes of benefit can truly take place.
My work across the South of England has always been rooted in the belief that change can only come from having community involvement. I’ve seen how powerful it is when community members are at the table “not on paper as case studies,” or there as “figureheads” but as partners in decision making. Members of our community should have a seat at the table where policies impacting our ethnic group are developed and revised.
In my work with schools, the NHS, social services, the police, local and County councils, I’ve focused on building cultural awareness and understanding. Too often, professionals approach Gypsy and Traveller communities with assumptions drawn from research and official statistics, rather than from understanding our lived experiences. Consequently, there is often very little community participation within the data collection due to surveying miniscule numbers.
Then there are the stereotypes – conscious and unconscious bias – to defend when not invited as an equal partner. Training and open dialogue help to challenge those ideas and create respectful partnerships, and this is why representation matters — not token voices, but active, informed participation that influences decisions.
A key part of my work involves supporting social workers to understand kinship care within the Romany-Gypsy and Traveller communities. Family is everything in our culture. Keeping children within their extended family network when difficulties arise is vital, yet the system doesn’t always recognise or accommodate that. Helping professionals to see how our traditions fit within safeguarding frameworks leads to culturally appropriate outcomes to ensure children from ethnic minorities physically, emotionally and spiritually thrive.
One of my biggest passions is to see Romany-Gypsy history included in England’s national curriculum. Our story is part of this country’s story — centuries of contribution, resilience, and culture that deserve recognition. Everything begins with educating before value and respect arrive, how can we better achieve this than having an inclusive education system. I also continue to advocate for adequate site provision; the national shortage of safe, legal stopping places affects every aspect of life, from health to education to dignity.
Our own cultural and lived experiences and teachings from parent to child that have been ancestrally passed down include skills of survival, life experience at midwifery, childcare, medicine and providers of palliative care and are the very reasons that we, Romany-Gypsy people, still exist today. We face new challenges to survive in a modern technological world where anti-Gypsy laws have provided us a hostile environment. We still possess the strength to protect our way of life. Welcoming and opening doors for community-led advocacy is about collaboration, equality, and truth. When we speak for ourselves, we don’t just challenge stereotypes; we can change our environment from hostile to inclusive.
True advocacy isn’t about doing things for people; it’s about standing with them, so that they can do it for themselves, by unlocking the gatekeepers’ padlocks, and with the sharing of the available tools, confidence grows, and the next generation sees that they have a place and a voice in shaping the future.
Our ethnicity is our expertise!