The American and Danish embassies in Hungary jointly sponsored a symposium for the discussion of the plight of the Roma population in Hungary which was attended by perhaps 150 persons, with rooms filled to full capacity and chairs brought in for the break-out sessions.
Romas make up approximately 5% of the Hungarian population, although there is no exact count. Romas trace their heritage to India and suffered two hundred years of virtual slavery in Romania and elsewhere in Eastern Europe until they were freed shortly before the American Civil War.
Approximately 40% of the Hungarian Roma population live in poverty and squalor, with many residing in shanty towns without water or sewer. Unemployment in certain Roma communities approaches 100% Less than one percent of their population enter college and most rural youngsters drop out before middle school. Many do not speak Hungarian but rather Romanian or a Roma dialect.
The purpose of the symposium was to bring together and start a civil discourse among representatives of the Hungarian government and non-profit organizations concerned about the Romas.
There was a plenary session in the morning followed by four workshops in the afternoon. Richard and Robert Field attended as representatives of the America House Foundation founded and led by Richard Field, a McCaskey graduate who has resided in Hungary for twenty years.
A symposium such as this can change the course of history, as the Watchdog has noted during his career. Many contacts were made among the non-profits and between them and the government. Although there were moments of criticism and candor, the discourse was polite, even by Lancaster standards.
Both Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Hungarian Ambassador Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis have expressed much concern about the plight of the Roma population across Europe, a situation with similarities but not identical to the status of many African-Americans a century ago. The symposium was an opportunity for the Americans in the room to feel very proud of our government.
