Answering calls from the British government to help rebuild the UK economy after World War II, migrants from the Caribbean Commonwealth began arriving on British shores in 1948.
The Empire Windrush arrived at Tilbury Docks in Essex on 22 June, carrying around 500 settlers from Jamaica. It was the first of many ships bringing migrants from Caribbean countries to the UK between 1948 and 1971, known as the Windrush generation.
In the wake of the Windrush scandal in 2018, which saw hundreds of Caribbean immigrants wrongly deemed as being in the UK illegally, the government announced an annual Windrush Day to encourage communities to commemorate the Windrush story. It also marked the 70th anniversary of the arrival of the first post-war Caribbean migrants.
The national celebration is backed by a £500,000 grant scheme which was launched by the government in October last year.
This year marks the second annual Windrush Day, but the 2020 celebrations are set to look very different. With social distancing restrictions in place amid the coronavirus outbreak, commemorations are going virtual
Four projects across Yorkshire and the Humber have received a share of over £46,000 in government funding to hold a wide range of events on Windrush Day and throughout the year, to celebrate, commemorate and educate communities about the Windrush generation.
Among those is Alive & Kicking, a Leeds-based theatre company which received £16,000 to produce an interactive and immersive performance to be shown in schools and community centres.
Author Trish Cooke will be leading the online celebrations on Monday 22 June, with new readings from one of her children’s books, which you can watch here.
As coronavirus restrictions ease, the theatre company hopes to take its immersive performance into schools to share the historical experience of West Indians travelling from the Caribbean to Britain.
Alive & Kicking is also creating a docudrama tracing the lives of the Windrush people and their children, which will be available to watch online during Black History Month in October.
Trish Cooke says education about the subject is vital:
“I think it’s really important that children get that education in all the different forms. In the fun forms; in the literature, in the drama. Can be comedy, can be serious. But it’s important that they feel valued.”
– Trish Cooke, Author
Staff from Kriklees Council have been working closely with the West Yorkshire Archive and the Jamaican National Council Huddersfield, to develop an electronic resource pack, highlighting how people can take part in celebrations at home.
Councillor Shabir Pandor explained:
“We can’t go out and do the celebrations and do the events because of social distancing. But we can still do things that show that we are fully behind the commitment that we made in terms of making sure that the Windrush generation isn’t forgotten.”
– Councillor Shabir Pandor, Kirklees Council
The resource pack includes stories about the Windrush generation, links to reading materials and films, as well as ideas for activities people can enjoy, from cooking to playing dominoes and cricket.
The Empire Windrush arrived at Tilbury Docks in Essex on 22 June, carrying around 500 settlers from Jamaica. It was the first of many ships bringing migrants from Caribbean countries to the UK between 1948 and 1971, known as the Windrush generation.
