‘The Mystery in Being a Gypsy’ by Gentylia Lee

I am proud to share that my book ‘The Mystery in Being a Gypsy’ has made it to publication... writes Gentylia Lee. I never dreamed nor desired to write a book. However, with my passion to discover all I could about my own ethnic history, what I discovered through researching, and what I have personally experienced had managed to accumulate pages upon pages of writings (saved on my computer). I have, for as long as I can remember, found writing to be a form of therapy. Some people like talking, some prefer a bit of retail therapy or taking part in a favoured activity – but me – I’ve always found tranquillity in writing.
           
My father and I would share deep and meaningful conversations. My dad had a question that he wanted me to find the answer to, “What did the Romany-Gypsies do that has resulted in the hatred, that we as an ethnic minority group, have endured for centuries?” This prompted me to research.

         The above photo is of my dad, (Perrin Buckley). I have dedicated this book,
         in loving memory to my father – the one who has throughout my life
         inspired and encouraged me in every path I have walked down.

On my quest to find the answer to my dad’s question I discovered our persecuted history, that spans centuries, and alongside my family stories; from my great-grandparent’s generation through to my own childhood and adult life, having faced all forms of persecution, apartheid, discrimination, hatred, oppression, segregation, and othering - which is still a common, and an openly accepted practice in the 21st Century, against my ethnic group – these collections of my writings I decided to share.

I hope my book will manage to go some way to help change hearts and minds of those who hold unethical and unjust hatred in their hearts against us, for no other reason than the ethnicity we were born.
           
I feel very strongly that we must individually stand against the perpetrators who project hate, who discriminate, and stereotype us. We must also unite and stand tall against the racists who have a pernicious effect on society. And I am passion driven to send a message to those of us who have been subjected to such hatred, because we have been born and bred into a world where the common view of us is - that we are the lowest class of humans – which is a Nazi ideology. For those of us belonging to my ethnic group it is important to recognise we have been conditioned, through our experiences, to ‘shrug off’ the hatred, and we have excepted it as ‘our normal’ because it is all we have ever known.

I feel deeply that our ‘normal’ must change and be viewed and be challenged for what it is: racism.

I have attempted to educate the Gorger (non-Romany) who holds a conscious or unconscious bias towards any, and all, who have been born to our ethnicity. I attempt to help challenge their bias held by simply sharing facts and truths. My book is a far cry from the majority of literature produced by the Gorger (non-Romany) authors, historians, and academics; many of whom, who have been guilty of using a conformation bias. My book is also a million miles away from the sensationalised mock-a-mentries often shown on TV in the name of Gypsies and Travellers. This is my story about my family, my people, and my ethnicity.

This book is largely aimed at the professional: the police, local authority workers, teaching practitioners, Social Services staff, NHS staff and staff who work in higher education. If you want to learn much more than stereotypes, if you would like to learn some of the English-Romanies' history, if you are passionate about change against racism and discrimination then this book is for you. For Gypsies and Travellers this is a relatable read and one I hope you enjoy reading.

 ‘The Mystery in Being a Gypsy’ is available to preorder on amazon, release date 30th May 2024 or can be read in the British Library, Bodleian Libraries of the University of Oxford, Cambridge University Library, The National Library of Scotland, The Library of Trinity College, Dublin and The National Library of Wales.

By Gentylia Lee