Chris Best

Windrush 75 - June 2023

Legacy of the Windrush Generation - my speech to local organisations

Legacy of the Windrush Generation

I am proud to have been invited to honour the incredible contributions of the Windrush Generation and their descendants in Lewisham and beyond. The 75th Anniversary of the Windrush on the 22 June 2023 has provided the platform for acknowledging, celebrating and raising awareness of the many contributions faith communities like yours has made to Great Britain.

We celebrate the bravery and adventure of young people coming to Britain and recognise that West Indian people died in the Second World War. People from across the then British Empire were encouraged to move to the UK to help with post-War labour shortages and rebuild the nation and our battered economy. Many of the passengers on Windrush had paid £28 (about £1,000 today) to travel to Britain in response to job adverts in local newspapers plus have another £5 on them when they sailed. The Caribbean Voyagers were clever, young, ambitious and were not poor – there are many photos of the men dressed in smart suits responding to the call to come and live, work and serve the community.

In listening to the powerful voices of those that came as part of the Windrush Generation there was an expectation that the 'mother country' would welcome everyone – “you are all British”. But the reality for many was that they were “foreigners” and Windrush immigrants faced hostility from some parts of the British population. Although encouraged to settle and take up employment in the UK, many were denied access to this due to the colour of their skin. People were often met with racism, lack of acknowledgement of their professional skills and very different living conditions. Many were denied access to churches so set up their own church.

Arrival

On the 22 June 1948, the Empire Windrush arrived at Tilbury Docks. According to the ship's passenger lists, more than half of the 1,027 listed official passengers on board, 539 gave their last country of residence as Jamaica, while 139 said Bermuda, 73 Trinidad and 44 British Guina all then part of the British empire.There were 684 males over the age of 12, alongside 257 females of the same age. There were also 86 children aged 12 and under. So most of the passengers were single men, or at least “unaccompanied by” a wife. More than half of those listing Caribbean residency were men in their 20s and 30s. Most of the women were domestic workers but there were also students and dressmakers, nurses and clerks. The men were mechanics and carpenters, clerks and tailors, engineers and welders, students and scholars; some had served in the RAF and navy. 802 of these passengers gave their last country of residence as somewhere in the Caribbean: of these, 693 intended to settle in the United Kingdom. 236 people who had no place to stay were temporarily housed in a former air road shelter at Clapham South underground station. Newspaper reports from the time state how those at the shelter went on to find jobs through the nearest Labour Exchanges (Job Centres), one of which was in Coldharbour Lane, Brixton.Many of those who came shaped London’s future – working for London Transport, on the post, in factories such as Ford, manual workers, drivers, cleaners, and nurses – the NHS was established two weeks later on the 5 July. Many then moved into rented houses and rooms in the Brixton and Clapham areas. Lady Molly Huggins, wife of the Governor of Jamaica, set up the Metropolitan Coloured People’s Housing Association to provide safe and affordable housing for Jamaican and West Indian immigrants. I was pleased to work for Metropolitan Housing Association as the Director for South London, based in Clapham.

At the time of the 2021 census in England and Wales close to half the 1.1m people who identified as being of black or mixed Caribbean descent live in London or Birmingham. Lewisham is the largest London borough with 13.5% followed by Croydon 11.9% and Lambeth 11.7%. From here, large Caribbean communities developed, contributing to the political, social and musical life of Britain ever since. I spent a fantastic evening celebrating the culture of the Caribbean with wonderful food, singing, dancing and recognising the importance of communities.

While the journey must have been personally pivotal for many who came, none could have imagined that Windrush would become a byword for a generation arriving from the Caribbean, who would help shape their new homeland.

Hostile environment

The youngest passenger on Windrush was a five-month-old baby and like other children who made the journey after them, many sailed on their parents’ British passports. But in doing so, and through no fault of their own, some would face deportation decades later from the country they were about to make their home. “Windrush” is not just a byword for the early Caribbean arrivals but also a synonym for a scandal that the government eventually conceded represented “an ugly stain on the face of our country”.

In April 2018, then Prime Minister Theresa May apologised for their treatment. An inquiry was announced and a compensation scheme established. The inquiry, which released its report in March 2020, said that the scandal was both "foreseeable and avoidable", and criticised "a culture of disbelief and carelessness" in the Home Office.

Health

In Lewisham I am pleased to share with you the report on the Birmingham and Lewisham African & Caribbean Health Inequalities Review (BLACHIR) – published in March 2022. This was a joint research project between Lewisham and Birmingham City Councils. It has begun ground-breaking work to gather insights on health inequalities experienced by Black African and Caribbean communities. I am very concerned with the health inequalities for the largest minority community in Lewisham and other disparities in areas such as housing, employment and education. The pandemic has highlighted the impact these inequalities have in the context of infectious disease, with Black African and Black Caribbean people over-represented in the deaths from COVID-19. We have a work programme to tackle these inequalities and one example is our Up!Up! programme of Living Lighter the African and Caribbean Way – a face to face programme for a healthy diet and increasing exercise.

Conclusion

Windrush Day is the opportunity to celebrate British Caribbean communities, and acknowledge the sacrifices and contributions the Windrush generation and their descendants have made to British society. Windrush marked the start of a very long journey and fight for the Afro Caribbean community to counter discrimination and secure equality, and inclusion and social cohesion. Great progress has been made but there is a lot more to do. As your Councillor for Sydenham I will keep on challenging the status quo to drive real change in our communities across Lewisham, London and our country.

Windrush 75