Madam, - We write in support of the letter from Patrick Nevin (March 2nd) about Traveller voices. We are long-standing community activists with extensive experience in the field of community development, campaigning and rights issues. We also have friends and relatives who are Travellers. It is a fundamental principle of all our work that marginalised people and communities are facilitated to speak for themselves and to run their own campaigns.
A good analogy would be the civil rights movement in the US in the 1960s and 1970s. It would have been unthinkable that these historic campaigns were led by white people. White people were, of course, very important in support and facilitating roles, but not in leadership ones. The history of Irish Travellers' self-organisation has been hidden from history but is a fascinating one, revealing all the paternalism and the charity approach to basic human rights that have dogged Traveller autonomy for decades. Thankfully, much has been achieved and we do now see Travellers acting as spokespeople for their community in the media. However, much remains to be done. It is indeed time that all Traveller organisations were Traveller-led, and not in a token fashion. Anything else smacks of paternalism and misplaced altruism.
This is about human rights. As long as settled workers take it upon themselves to speak for Travellers, they are occupying the space rightfully belonging to Travellers. Now that the war is over on the island, and republicans have accepted that the way to seek rights and justice is through peaceful means, the most serious issue confronting our society is the continued racism against Travellers. While partnerships between Travellers and settled people are welcome, it is essential that Travellers take the leadership roles.
We work with a wide variety of groups, including working-class loyalist communities in the North, and we can think of no other group where outsiders presume to speak on behalf of a group to which they do not belong. Why would any reasonable person imagine that it is all right to do this when Travellers are concerned? - Yours, etc,
PATRICIA McCARTHY,
Cllr MICK RAFFERTY,
Community Techical Aid Unit,
Buckingham Street,
Dublin 1.