Migrant legacy on agenda as UK marks Windrush Day
Published:Monday | June 22, 2020 | 12:19 AMPaul Clarke/Gleaner Writer
The highest-ranking British diplomat in Jamaica has said that Windrush Day, which is marked annually on June 22, should be a launching pad for the exploration of socio-economic outcomes that black people in the United Kingdom (UK) have had to endure.
The first Windrush Day was held in 2018, and the day is aimed at celebrating the Caribbean community and its contributions to British society.
“When it comes to education, health outcomes, housing, and in the field of employment, it is true that they are represented in wider careers than before, but it is equally true that when you look at people in senior positions and prominent areas of responsibility, that is not as yet where it should be,” High Commissioner Asif Ahmad said in a statement to mark the day.
The day not only marks the 77th year after the arrival of the ship HMT Empire Windrush, carrying some 800 people from Jamaica and the Caribbean to England, but it is also a narrative of Caribbean people’s contribution to Britain.
“In recent weeks, we have seen a huge amount of attention brought around by the treatment of black people, not just in the United States but elsewhere around the world,” said Ahmad.
“The Black Lives Matter movement has highlighted the need for attention to the way in which law-enforcement agencies operate when they deal with black people.”
ENCOURAGE LINKS
Ahmad said that the Kingston high commission intended to mark Windrush Day with a Caribbean-wide Zoom session reflecting on the implications and legacy of issues affecting migrants.
“We also want to encourage diaspora links because there are a lot of opportunities – cultural, trade, educational, and many others – where we can get more out of the legacy of the positive impact that we have because we are enriched by the Caribbean influences in our country,” said Ahmad.
The day honours the British Caribbean community and the half a million people who travelled to the UK after the Second World War between 1948 and 1971.
Jamaicans and other Caribbean people who had served in the British armed forces were encouraged to go to Britain and help rebuild the war-torn country.
Many of the migrants who travelled from the region faced discrimination and racism in Britain.
In 2018, it emerged that the Conservative UK government had told some members of the Windrush Generation that they were living in Britain illegally. Some people who had lost their official documents or were unable to provide them were sent to immigration detention centres. At least 83 people were wrongfully deported.
The scandal led to the resignation of then Home Secretary Amber Rudd and prompted a wider debate about British immigration and deportation policy.
Subsequently, a compensation scheme was launched.