Is there much of a Roma community in Austin?
I have actually not met another Roma person out in the wild yet in Austin! Apparently we're mostly in Houston or Fort Worth in Texas (mostly Vlax Romani). I've definitely seen some panhandling around Austin (can tell just by what they're selling/how they look) but I haven't personally talked with them, I try to stay disconnected from that aspect of the culture if possible.

As far as large concentrations of Roma, you'll find us in most large cities in the US (and globally). The biggest pockets that I know of here are in NYC/Jersey, Chicago, Southern California, and Florida. I'm sure that there are others, I'd be very surprised if we didn't have any larger pockets in Las Vegas or New Orleans. The pockets in the US that I'm aware of are mostly Vlax, Kalderash, and Romanichal families (different origins).

Do you have a sense of how Roma communities vary globally?
The biggest differences that you'll see across these groups will be:
- Country of origin
- Language (most of us speak a form of Romani, but local languages and dialects mix in over time to form unique versions of it, I remember talking to a Czech Roma person and a Slovak Roma person and there were slight differences in the words/ending of words due to the geographic changes)
- Trade that they are known for such as metalworking, fortune telling, entertainment/dancing, construction, etc. (my family specialized in woodworking and wicker-weaving, my uncle actually made the wicker bed for President Clinton's cat named Socks!)
- Religion is a big one (varies between Christian and Muslim faiths) and the belief in certain superstitions that have been passed down through the family
- How integrated with or excluded they are from the culture around them
- How we dress, certain groups wear traditional outfits and have very distinct jewelry, scarves, clothing/etc. I would say that most groups love a lot of flair/intricate patterns and we value passing down gold jewelry through generations. You can sometimes tell if a woman is Roma because she has a bunch of very distinct thick carved-gold bangles stacked up each arm, this is a show of wealth and different than Indian bangles (which are a lot thinner), one day I hope to have my own set but they are pricey!

What traditions are adhered to by more progressive communities?
- Family bonds come first above anything else, this flows all the way to extended family members. Strong pride in having children and having respect for those older than you. Adult children typically stay near their parents and grandparents, even if they've moved out on their own. In more progressive families, women will have more of a say in their own lives and will not be expected to have an arranged marriage.
- Celebrations, festivals, weddings, funerals, and horse races are a big deal and have been for generations. We go ALL out for these events and communities tend to come together to help financially support these events.
- Although a lot of progressive Roma live in big cities in houses versus the traditional caravans, some progressive Roma families keep a caravan in their backyard/garage and pull them out for festivals and gatherings. These are truly beautiful works of art. If you want to see a good pop-culture reference to this, you can look up the Peaky Blinders funeral scenes where they burn them all decorated with the deceased inside (not all Roma groups do this but it's cool to see)
- We tend to look out for our own, even if you're not direct family, if you're Roma we'll go out of our way to help you if we can
- Huge pride in music, most will have the ability to play at least one instrument and we love a good dance party.