Throughout societies across Europe, Asia, and the United States, far too often Romani people are depicted in discriminatory and demeaning ways. There are so many misconceptions about who they are that it is hard to know where to start when looking at how to dismantle these harmful stereotypes.
Within the United States there are large populations of Romani Gypsy communities. Many of whom, hide their identities for fear of being racially targeted. In order to change the widespread hate and discrimination Romani people face, a change in public perception is needed. The need for accurate representation and breaking harmful stereotypes was the driving force behind the making of this cover.
When creating this piece, the image I carried in my mind was that of the richness and beauty of Romani culture. As a people, they have brought immense beauty to the world through our creation of Flamenco, Belly dancing, Romani music, our clothing style, and so many more beautiful arts that are recognized globally.
There is a great deal of false information and imagery in the world that inaccurately depict who Romani people are as a people. I felt a duty to remedy this. Utilizing imagery and simplistic dialog, I wanted to depict some of the beauty of these amazing people.
The magazine cover ‘feel’ was very important to me as I created this advocacy piece. The imagery needed to be soft yet have a sense of power and strength. Red is a prominent and important color in much of Roma clothing, so I wanted to ensure that there were different hues of soft red throughout the image. Dancing is an intricate part of Romani culture; therefore, it was important that the dress curved in such a way that it followed the curve of the wheel. The wording was also important. I wanted it to be simple yet convey the important aspects of Romani culture for those who are not a part of it.
