In addition to the more socially 'visible' minority groups in the United States, there are less socially visible racial and ethnic groups that tend to be smaller in population size, and lumped under or assumed to be part of the larger more socially recognizable groups. Few adults and children have any accurate knowledge about the Romani people. While for many the words "Roma" and "Romani" might be new, stereotypical images of Gypsies are rampant throughout the world. These include: dark earringed men, exotic women in colorful skirts, barefoot people dancing around campfires, caravans, violins, tambourines, palm reading, and crystal balls. Gypsies are perceived as carefree, romantic, and mysterious wanderers. They are also negatively stereotyped as thieves, child-stealers, and criminals.

The word "Gypsy" comes from the Middle Ages. At the time, the darker-skinned Romani people were mistakenly thought to have come from Egypt. Thus, they were called "Egyptians", then "Gyptians," and eventually "Gypsies." While Gypsies are too often seen as anybody who follows a so-called Gypsy lifestyle (as presented in popular culture and literature), the designation "Romani" helps stress that the group is a genuine ethnic minority with its own culture, customs, history, and language.

It is estimated that more than 12 million Romani live throughout the world. The European Romani population is estimated to be between 7 million and 8.5 million. Of this number, about 5 million live in Central and Eastern Europe. It is difficult to obtain accurate numbers of Romani populations, however, since many are not recorded in official census counts. In most countries, the Romani population is much larger than is generally known. Many people conceal their Romani identity-a cautionary tactic learned through centuries of persecution. Romani in North America have been called the hidden minority, because they remain largely invisible among the many ethnic groups.

I am what I would call an 'invisible minority', which is to say that I am invisible to the ethnic perception of the white racial groups and are therefore treated as a 'white' person. This puts me in a category all by myself. No one is ever quite sure what to make of my ethnic identity and it is usually assumed to be anything from Italian to Native American to Persian to Greek, (something I usually don't correct, unless I know the person, as I've found that explaining that Gypsies are not only real, but also an actual ethnic group is lost on most and requires more energy than I care to expend on the casual onlooker). And, since most people classify ethnicity by skin color, (and mine is fairly pale, thanks to my paternal Nordic heritage,) I can choose to skate by as 'white' without much protest, should I ever decide that I needed to. There is also the fact that I live in the United States, which, while there is still racism here, it's a walk in the park compared to other parts of the world, particularly Eastern Europe (where I wouldn't be wise to reveal my actual ethnicity, as they're rather fond of beating, sterilizing and killing Gypsy women over there).

In any case, for these reasons I wouldn't classify myself as a 'minority', even though that would technically be correct. While I don't necessarily take offense to people in my position who do use the term, I do find it to be somewhat ridiculous, because even though technically the word 'minority' means 'a group differing, esp. in race, religion, or ethnic background, from the majority of a population', I think the perception is that those who are minorities also have to contend with a considerable amount of racism, based solely on their physical appearance. As I have yet to find this to be true in my own personal experience, using such a 'charged' word seems to imply a lot more than simply that my heritage is not of Caucasian origin. On the flip side, however, I do take offense to being referred to as 'white', since ethnically I am not. My objection to that term is also out of respect for my darker-skinned ancestors, {something I don't have to go very far back to find, since my mother is darker-skinned and an obvious 'minority'). So, I suppose you could say that my feelings on this issue lie somewhere in the middle... I'm not 'white' and will never identify as 'white', {choosing 'Middle Eastern' on census forms when asked) but I don't consider myself a minority, in the Americanized sense of the word.

http://www.emaxhealth.com/24/9891.html

"The findings showed that Gypsies and Travellers were significantly more likely to have a long term illness, problem, or disability that interfered with daily life or which limited their ability to work."

The health of Gypsies and Travellers is significantly worse than that of other vulnerable groups, reveals research in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. It is not known how many Gypsies and Travellers there are in Britain, but estimates put the number at around 300,000. The researchers assessed the health of just under 300 Gypsies and Travellers of UK and Irish origin in five locations across England (Sheffield, Leicester, Norfolk, London, and Bristol).

Using validated measures, this was compared with the health of people living in rural communities, or areas of deprivation, or ethnic minority communities, all of whom tend to have poorer health than average. The findings showed that Gypsies and Travellers were significantly more likely to have a long term illness, problem, or disability that interfered with daily life or which limited their ability to work.

They were also more immobile, had greater problems maintaining their own health, and endured more pain and discomfort, anxiety and depression than people in the other groups. Their rates of diabetes, stroke and cancer were not higher. But the authors point out that often these diseases can be 'silent' and that any associated symptoms might not have been recognised.

Gypsies and Travellers were also significantly more likely to have chest pain, respiratory problems, and arthritis. And they reported higher rates of miscarriage and premature death among their children. Policies to tackle health inequalities have clearly not been meeting the needs of Gypsies and Travellers, conclude the authors.

A companion paper in the journal, which looked at Gypsies' and Travellers' health beliefs and experiences, found that ill health is seen as 'normal' and something that everyone has to bear.