Wednesday 8th April was InternationalTravellerandRomaDay.  This day is deeply important. It marks a moment in history when Roma and Traveller communities came together across borders for recognition, rights, and a shared voice.

To mark this day, and as part of our 2026 learning theme on Allyship, Broadlake and our network of companies hosted a very special guest Oein DeBhairduin in conversation with Steve Jacques and Daragh Anglim.

On the theme of resilience and pride Oein shared with us reflections on Traveller and Roma culture, history and language as well as observations on the hurdles and discrimination faced by members of the community. The challenge to all of us outside of the community is to confront our biases and preconceived ideas, to challenge discrimination and learn more. Learn more we did in just this one hour session. I had never been aware that up until the 1930’s Traveller and Roma children were taken from their families and sent from this land to Industrial and residential schools in Canada to ‘resettle’ them. Intergenerational trauma is real 😢

One key takeaway for me was hearing Oein speak of 4 words and their meaning in Traveller and Roma language. This was our call to action!

👀 Suwnie – To see us.
📖 Glori – To Learn with us.
❓ Granni – To understand us.
✊ Grati – to act with us.