Windrush Day on 22 June marks the anniversary of the arrival of MV Empire Windrush in 1948. People arrived from various parts of the West Indies all then ruled by the UK in the then British Empire.

These people formed the first group of what is now known as the Windrush generation.

The arrival of migrants at this time was by invitation, sponsorship and encouragement. Both public sector organisations, e.g NHS and companies had a need for workers. Some had fought in World War 2. People in the West Indies responded to the call to stem the labour shortage in the growing economy. Also, this first generation from the Caribbean believed they would be better off in the “Mother Country”.

The single most significant motivation behind the Windrush generation was for work and a better life. The majority of new arrivals were employed in transportation, hospitals and engineering. The history of the NHS is that since its inception it has relied on migrant workers. Women from the Caribbean were encouraged and sponsored to work as nurses particularly from 1948 to 1965.

It is immigrant workers settling in the UK whose labour sustained the economic growth of the 1950s and 1960s. But, for many their lives were one of struggle and resilience and by the year 2016 the lives of the Windrush generation had become pawns in the game of immigration numbers

In the 1950s the new arrivals faced problems obtaining housing. As a result they created “ credit unions”, a community-based resource to provide finance to provide for the purchase of housing.

In education the discourse became one of “underachievement” of black children and over exclusion. The response was that black families created “Supplementary/ Saturday” schools throughout the major cities. A significant proportion of black children now enter university and the proportion is rising. However, there is still a major issue of very high unemployment in the 16-24 year old age group.

Black communities have not only survived but thrived as a result of pooling resources, community support and networking. However, for the political classes they have been used, along with other minority groups, as the means to gain kudos by restricting immigration.

From Enoch Powell stating that the black man will soon have the “whip hand” over the white man to the Commonwealth Immigrant Acts of the late 1960s and early 1970s, to the creation of a “hostile environment” by Theresa May through the Immigration Acts of 2014 and 2016 , political parties have competed with each other to be seen to be “tough” on immigration.

It is ironic that these latter Acts with their policy of deportation gave rise to what is known as the “Windrush Scandal”.

Despite the frequent negative portrayal of the descendants of the Windrush generation the real narrative of these later generations is one of strength, self-help, aspiration, resilience. And here to stay.

This year’s theme for Black history month in October is “Standing together in Power and Pride’ and the BAME Network will be exploring these themes in depth then.

Cllr. Professor Cecile Wright,
BAME Representative NEC, Cooperative Party, Councillor Derbyshire, Aboretum Ward