Windrush Day was introduced in June 2018 on the 70th anniversary of the
''Windrush'' migration. Though Windrush Day is not a
bank holiday
A bank holiday is a national public holiday in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and the Crown Dependencies. The term refers to all public holidays in the United Kingdom, be they set out in statute, declared by royal proclamation or held ...
in the United Kingdom, it is an observed day. It is on 22 June. It was instituted following a successful campaign led by
.
History
On 22 June 1948, 492 Caribbean people were brought to
Tilbury Docks
The Port of Tilbury is a port on the River Thames at Tilbury in Essex, England. It is the principal port for London, as well as being the main United Kingdom port for handling the importation of paper. There are extensive facilities for contai ...
,
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
, in the UK, on the
''Empire Windrush'' ship.
["Windrush: A landmark in the history of modern Britain"](_blank)
''The History Press''. News reports at the time reported that the number of people was 492, but the ship's records show that the ship was carrying 1,027 passengers. According to the passenger lists, 802 of those on board the ship gave their last country of residence as somewhere in the Caribbean. After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the United Kingdom's economy needed to be repaired. To do so, the British government recruited
Afro-Caribbean
Afro-Caribbean people or African Caribbean are Caribbean people who trace their full or partial ancestry to Sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of the modern African-Caribbeans descend from Africans taken as slaves to colonial Caribbean via the ...
migrants and offered them jobs. These jobs included the production of steel, coal, iron, and food, and also jobs in the service sector, such as running public transport and staffing the new
National Health Service
The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...
in the United Kingdom.
The first African-Caribbean immigrants in the United Kingdom were faced with extreme intolerance from many in the white population. Although African-Caribbean migrants were encouraged to settle in the United Kingdom and take up employment to relieve the labour market by the authorities, many early immigrants were denied access to private employment and accommodation because of the colour of their skin. Black people were also banned from many pubs, clubs, and even churches.
Campaign
was the first to call for the commemoration of "Windrush Day", to recognise the migrant contribution to UK society, on the day when the first big group of post-war migrants from the West Indies arrived in Britain.
[Vernon, Patrick (21 June 2013)]
"Why Windrush Day matters"
British Future. Vernon first launched a petition to this effect in 2013, which was followed by a further campaign in 2018, at the height of the
Windrush scandal. Official backing was given when it was subsequently announced by the government that an annual Windrush Day would be celebrated on 22 June, supported by a grant of up to £500,000, to recognise and honour the contribution of the Windrush Generation and their descendants and to "keep their legacy alive for future generations, ensuring that we all celebrate the diversity of Britain's history."
Modern day
The purpose of Windrush Day is to encourage "communities across the country to celebrate the contribution of the
Windrush Generation
British African-Caribbean people are an ethnic group in the United Kingdom. They are British citizens whose ancestry originates from the Caribbean or they are nationals of the Caribbean who reside in the UK. There are some self-identified Afro-C ...
and their descendants," according to the United Kingdom government. "A Windrush Day will allow communities up and down the country to recognise and honour the enormous contribution of those who stepped ashore at Tilbury Docks 70 years ago," said communities minister
Lord Bourne. Government funding helps a variety of events and activities to take place, such as the day dance performances, exhibitions, and debate.
On Windrush Day 2021, a plaque was erected in memory of British immigrant rights activist
Paulette Wilson
Paulette Wilson (20 March 195623 July 2020) was a British immigrant rights activist who fought her own deportation to Jamaica and brought media attention to the human rights violations of the Windrush scandal.
Biography
Wilson was born in the ...
, a member of the "
Windrush generation
British African-Caribbean people are an ethnic group in the United Kingdom. They are British citizens whose ancestry originates from the Caribbean or they are nationals of the Caribbean who reside in the UK. There are some self-identified Afro-C ...
" (which term usually refers to those who were born in the Caribbean and settled in the UK between 1948 and 1971).
The plaque was launched with campaigners including
and
Claire Darke
Claire Darke is a British Labour Party politician, who served as the Mayor of Wolverhampton. She is Councillor for Park Ward and was first elected in 2008 as a Liberal Democrat. She is the longest continuously serving female Mayor of Wolverhampt ...
as well as her family at the Wolverhampton Heritage Centre. The Centre is a cornerstone of the area's local Caribbean community and was formerly the constituency office of
Enoch Powell
John Enoch Powell, (16 June 1912 – 8 February 1998) was a British politician, classical scholar, author, linguist, soldier, philologist, and poet. He served as a Conservative Member of Parliament (1950–1974) and was Minister of Health (1 ...
, where the infamous
"Rivers of Blood" speech was written.
References
{{Reflist, 30em
External links
"Windrush Day in the United Kingdom" at timeanddate.com
Black British history
Caribbean British
June observances
Windrush