FROM ARRIVAL TO IMPACT- WINDRUSH DAY MATTERS

JUNE 22nd

The recognition of the Caribbean community’s contribution to Britain has been hard-earned. It was the late Sam King, a Windrush pioneer who arrived on the Empire Windrush in 1948, who first proposed the idea of Windrush Day. His vision was supported by a coalition of activists, historians, community leaders, and descendants of the Windrush Generation. Their years of campaigning culminated in success in 2018 when the British government officially designated June 22nd as Windrush Day.

This victory was made all the more significant by the ‘Windrush Scandal’ of 2018. The scandal exposed the devastating effects of the government’s ‘hostile environment’ policy, which led to the wrongful detention and deportation of Caribbean people who had lived in Britain since childhood. The outcry from the Caribbean Heads of Governments, who were in London for the Commonwealth Conference, helped pressure the government to take action. In response, the government launched an inquiry and, after years of resistance, agreed to establish Windrush Day, along with a £500,000 fund for community initiatives.

Now that Windrush Day is a reality, the question remains: how meaningful is it? Is it an opportunity for celebration, self-reflection, and identity-building, or is it a token gesture, offering “crumbs” in the face of a much larger struggle? Some Caribbeans have been reluctant to embrace the day fully. Why is this?

In the early years, the Caribbean community’s focus was on survival: finding work, building families, establishing churches, and creating strong support networks. Public celebrations were often quiet and private, reserved for close-knit family and community gatherings. However, two major events marked exceptions to this. The first was in 1950 when the West Indies cricket team defeated England on home soil, inspiring spontaneous street celebrations across London and Caribbean communities. The second was the Notting Hill Carnival in 1958, which began as both a celebration of Caribbean culture and a protest against racial violence, particularly in response to the murder of Kelso Cochrane in the same year. Today, the Carnival is a national event, yet it has not always been fully embraced by the Caribbean community. Why is this?

Perhaps it's a legacy of the past. Generations of exclusion, neglect, and marginalisation may have led to internalised feelings of inferiority within the community. This cultural conditioning, rooted in the British values of restraint and understatement, can make it difficult for Caribbean people to publicly celebrate their successes, as they may view self-promotion or overt pride as inappropriate. This hesitancy to celebrate is also seen in the under-recognition of Caribbean achievements in areas such as sport and music, where success has often been celebrated in ways that don’t challenge established racial stereotypes.

 Despite these challenges, Windrush Day serves an important function: it affirms that Black people are integral to Britain’s history and identity, and not mere “guests” who arrived in 1948. It offers a space for stories that have long been overlooked or silenced, reminding us that Black people have been part of Britain’s history for centuries. More than just a celebration of the past, Windrush Day is a moment of reflection, a chance to honour the contributions of Caribbean people to shaping modern Britain despite limited recognition.

As a day, it also provides an opportunity to have conversations about identity and pride, as Caribbean communities, due to historical reasons, sometimes downplay their achievements, reflecting a cultural reluctance to celebrate success. However, this modesty may have negative consequences, for a lack of self-worth can breed self-doubt, hindering progress and undermining success. Also, when a community fails to recognise its own contributions, it risks losing touch with its roots, weakening its sense of belonging across generations, making it harder for young people to take pride in their culture.

In my book Windrush: 7 Events That Changed Britain, I highlight pivotal events that have shaped Britain’s national identity. For example, the tireless work of Caribbean activists, such as Harold Moody, Claudia Jones, Learie Constantine, and Dr David Pitt, helped bring about the 1965 Race Relations Act, which made racial discrimination illegal in Britain, a turning point for both Black people and people in Britain. It also played a key part in the political struggle for representation, leading to the election of Diane Abbott, Paul Boateng, and Bernie Grant to Parliament.

Caribbean communities have also made a lasting impact on British religious culture, and what started as small prayer meetings in the 1960s and 70s has now grown into a vast network of over 4,000 Black Pentecostal churches, with a membership exceeding 300,000. These churches have had a profound influence on both the cultural and economic life of Britain, and the gospel music that has come out of these churches has transformed Britain’s religious landscape, even affecting the Evangelical wing of the Church of England.

Now, more than ever, Windrush Day should be embraced. It is not just a symbol of historical recognition; it is a reminder of resilience, contribution, and the importance of self-affirmation, especially for younger generations. Windrush Day is a call to action to ensure full representation and visibility of Caribbean communities in all aspects of British life. It is about honouring the past, but more importantly, it is about shaping the future.