Political Quotes

“Mr. President, today, I am introducing, along with Senator Wicker, a resolution that celebrates Romani American heritage. As a member of the U.S. Helsinki Commission and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Special Representative on Anti-Semitism, Racism and Intolerance, I have long worked to improve the situation of Roma throughout the OSCE region. This includes efforts to advance human rights compliant policing, ending ethnic and religious profiling, supporting diversity and inclusion in the U.S. national security workforce and human rights training for foreign service officers, and supporting free and fair elections in the OSCE participating States. I also supported the appointment of Dr. Ethel Brooks to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Council, on which I also currently serve. The resolution we are introducing today does four things. First, it recognizes and celebrates Romani American heritage. Roma have come to the United States with every wave of European migration since the colonial period. In the United States, there may be as many as one million Americans with some Romani ancestry, whether distant or more recent. Romani people have made distinct and important contributions in many fields, including agriculture, art, crafts, literature, medicine, military service, music, sports, and science. Second, it supports International Roma Day and the Department of State's robust engagement in activities to that occasion.…”