Windrush
People who landed in the UK from Caribbean countries between 1948 and 1973 are known as the “Windrush generation.”
‘On 22 June 1948, the MV Empire Windrush docked at Tilbury carrying 492 people from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and other islands in the commonwealth, thus inaugurating the process of post-war mass migration to Britain’ (BBC, 2018). Windrush is the name given to the case involving Caribbean immigrants who were brought to the United Kingdom after WWII to assist in rebuilding the economy, infrastructure, and other aspects of the country (Mead, 2009.) Many of these migrants went on to work as manual labourers, cleaners, drivers, and nurses.
The Windrush crisis occurred in 2017, when it was revealed that hundreds of Commonwealth residents – many of whom were from the ‘Windrush generation’ – had been wrongfully jailed, deported, and denied legal rights despite having been granted the opportunity along with their families to live, work, and attend school. There is an ongoing fight to give justice to those wrongfully detained, including people reporting through social media, news, books, talks and events.
For further information on the status of Windrush, please visit Windrush organisations, charities, and news websites.
Some useful links:
https://windrushfoundation.com
https://www.bl.uk/windrush
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/windrush-scandal
References:
BBC (2018). Windrush generation: Who are they and why are they facing problems? BBC News. [online] 18 Apr. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43782241.
Matthew Mead (Mead, 2009) Empire Windrush: The cultural memory of an imaginary arrival. Journal of Postcolonial Writing, 45:2,137-149.