30 August marked the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Union of Gypsies-Roma (Svaz Cikánů-Romů) in Czechoslovakia. This first-ever Romani organization allowed to officially exist by authorities in the Czech lands held its constituting congress in Brno on 30 August 1969.
While the Union lasted for less than four years before it was abolished by pressure from parts of the communist regime in the spring of 1973, it developed an admirable number of activities during that time.
Its conception was preceded by many long years of efforts by the Romani intelligentsia to establish their own organization, and it was formed in the context of conditions relaxing society-wide during the Prague Spring, accompanied by a reformulation of the state policies being applied to Romani people and the transition from a policy of assimilation to one of cultural and social integration.
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