Ruth Maguire MSP has given her support to recognise Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month 2020 in an ongoing effort to recognise the contributions of travelling communities to Scottish society.
The month of June has been used to mark Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month (GRTHM) since 2008 to celebrate the history, culture and language of Gypsies, Travellers and Roma communities in addition to challenging prejudices faced by travelling communities.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, activities linked to this initiative normally held at schools, libraries and museums have been limited. However, interviews, stories and educational videos have been made available to view on grthm.scot which give more information about the experiences of the travelling community in Scotland.
A join action plan launched in collaboration by the Scottish Government and COSLA aimed at improving the lives of Gypsy/Traveller communities aims to make a material difference to their circumstances by the end of the current Scottish Parliamentary session in 2021.
The SNP MSP said: “At a time where human rights and equalities are most at-risk, it is vital that negative stereotyping and discrimination faced by travelling communities is challenged robustly.
“We all should take time this month to educate ourselves and confront the prejudice that is faced by travelling people while learning about the contributions that they bring to our communities.”
Ruth Maguire MSP 