....I say yes :o )

It only takes one persons; one TRULY influential person with a 'vision' and the creative drive to see it through then the people will follow.

So can one person change the world the answer for me is YES just as long as we always have the followers who will fall like dominos with one small push.

I'm known as Pocahontas because of my long dark hair that I ‘used' to wear in pigtails.

I am of Roma (West Indies and England) and Irish Traveller heritage. My mothers family were of Romnichal heritage and have lived in England for about 5/600 hundred years. It was said that her father's ancestors were originally Romanian Romanies, but no evidence of this has ever been found in our family genealogy studies. However, both him and my mother have the strange bluely/grey eyes, which is said to be a common trait mark of Romanian Romanies and dark hair.

Her mother's family were originally from the New Forest and Cheshire areas. Her maiden name was Knight but we believe my great grandmothers maiden name was Cooper.

My fathers family are a bunch of liquice allsorts, LOL. His father was of Irish Traveller heritage. The Collins Clan hailed from Cork in Ireland, most of whom settled up in Manchester in 1800's~early 1900's. My great, grandfather Collins married a Waterman who's own mother was none other then a Cooper from the New Forest!!! (So I'm a bit of a hillbilly ya ‘ear, ROFL) Her name was Alice Annie Cooper and she was born in 1860, I believe (?).

My Father's mother is of Gitano heritage. Her Grandfather came over from the West Indies with his family in the late 1800's. His last name was Ferguson. I know that this is a Scottish name, but during the slave trade people were forced to take the names of the families they served. One of his sons ~ my great grandfather married Mary Ann Cole who had previously been married into Haimes/Haines family (another Romani family) and had children with him. She herself was of Gitano and Irish Traveller heritage.

Almost all the family are now settled as all my great grandparents wanted their children and children's children to have a good education and a better quality of life.

My family have spent years doing our genealogy. It's not been easy as what records we do have had a long way to come and there are a lot of gaps as most travellers never had any records, but as the saying goes...

"Gypsies' life's are hard to trace because we roam from place to place" Anom

My aim is to help in dispelling all the stereotypical images that folki seem to have about our culture and heritage.

What annoys me is prejudice, racism and ignorance...

"Tis the blood in one's veins and the DNA code on our genome that makes us whatever flavour of ‘Roma' we may be. It is not how we live, what religion we follow, where we live, with whom we live... it's genetic. One cannot wish to be a ‘Romani' and magically become this"

I am currently doing a BS (Hons) Degree in Psychology and being a mother to a toddler. As well as being a house wife and doing volunteer work with fellow Romanies.