Determined Nation

Canada’s History | 1 Jun 2018 | Cynthia Levine-Rasky

Despite racism and persecution, the Roma have persevered in Canada.

IN SEPTEMBER 1919, IN SYDNEY, NOVA SCOTIA, a police of­ficer encountered a group of settlers who had not been seen before — a group of twenty-one Roma who had recently arrived in the Cape Breton Island town. The plainclothes of­ficer charged the men in the group with robbery, despite their claim of having no knowledge of the crime. Their brief stay in the county jail was followed by bail, release, and an arraignment. The police confiscated the group’s horses […]