Ronald Lee Explained

Ronald Lee
Birth Place:Montreal, Canada
Nationality: Canada
Occupation:Writer, linguist, activist

Ronald Lee (1934January 25, 2020) was a Romani Canadian writer, linguist, professor, folk musician, and activist.[1] He studied Romani society and culture and worked to foster intercultural dialogue between Roma and Non-Roma.[2] [3]

Early life and education

Ronald Lee was born in Montreal, Canada in 1934. Lee's father was a Kalderash musician from Europe who immigrated to Canada, where he married and took his wife's surname of Lee.[3]

In 1939, his family went to Great Britain on a visit but were unable to return to Canada for several years because of the outbreak of World War II. The Lees eventually returned to Canada in 1945.[3]

After returning to Canada, Lee worked during the summer with his uncle for the fairs and amusement parks. In the fall, winter, and spring seasons, he attended night school in Montreal in the 1950s and 1960s. When Lee was 18, he started to travel with a Kalderash family from Europe and worked on plating mixing bowls and doing other smithing arts and odd jobs. Later, he took courses in journalism and creative writing.[3]

Adult years

Lee began to work with the Canadian Roma as an activist in 1965, through the Kris Romani (Romani internal judicial assembly). He tried to foster a better understanding between Roma and non-Roma, to combat prejudice and misinformation in newspapers, and to help the Roma represent themselves. In the 1970s, he got involved in helping the Romani refugees from the Communist Eastern Bloc and ex-Yugoslavia. He went with Yul Brynner, Ian Hancock and John Tene to the United Nations on July 5, 1978 to present a Romani petition asking for NGO status. This was granted a year later.[4]

From 1989 to 1990, he helped those seeking asylum who had been persecuted as Roma in their former countries. In 1997, he initiated and was one of the founders of Roma Community and Advocacy Centre[5] (based in Toronto) and the Western Canadian Romani Alliance, in Vancouver, in 1998.[3]

Ronald Lee taught a course on the Romani Diaspora at the University of Toronto from 2003 to 2008.[6] [7]

In 2014, Ronald Lee was honoured by Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, with an Honorary Doctorate of Laws.[4]

Writings

References

  1. News: Anne Craig. Queen's recognizes exemplary careers with honorary degrees: Ronald Lee. Queen's University at Kingston. Queen’s gazette. October 17, 2014. September 7, 2021.
  2. Web site: Paola Toninato. Ronald Lee. RomArchive. September 7, 2021. 2018.
  3. Mihaela Mudure. Ronald Lee: A Canadian Roma Writer. 2009. Piteşti. Editura Universităţii din Piteşti. European Landmarks of Identity. 5. 2. 306–312. 1843-1577.
  4. Web site: Dr Thomas Acton. Ronald Lee RIP. January 28, 2020. Travellers Times. September 7, 2021.
  5. Web site: Roma Community and Advocacy Centre. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070927145724/http://www.rcctoronto.org/. 2007-09-27. 20 Apr 2021. www.rcctoronto.org.
  6. Web site: Books. Magoria. Magoria Books: A Brief Biography of Ronald Lee. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20181116122509/http://magoriabooks.com/authors/ronald_lee/. 2018-11-16. 20 Apr 2021. magoriabooks.com.
  7. Web site: Learn Romani. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121207103034/http://www.herts.ac.uk/about-us/our-structure/subsidiary-companies/uh-press/romani-studies/learn-romani.cfm. 2012-12-07. 20 Apr 2021. www.herts.ac.uk.
  8. Web site: Books. Magoria. Magoria Books. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20201203202959/http://www.magoriabooks.com/books/livingfire/. 2020-12-03. 20 Apr 2021. www.magoriabooks.com.
  9. Web site: The Living Fire (E Zhivindi Yag) by Ronald Lee. LibraryThing.com.
  10. Web site: Ronald Lee. About Me. Kopachi.com.
  11. Web site: Books. Magoria. Romani Dictionary and Language Centre. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20161209111402/http://romanidictionary.com/books/rodikalen/. 2016-12-09. 20 Apr 2021. romanidictionary.com.

External links

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