New Delhi: Every year on June 22, Windrush Day is celebrated in the United Kingdom. It is a day that honours the contributions of migrants to the development of the UK after the war when it reeling from the financial crisis. The day presents everyone with an opportunity to pay respect to Afro-Caribbeans who arrived on the HMT Empire Windrush in 1948. Those people are known as the ‘Windrush generation’ and those migrants helped revive the UK’s finances from the ravages of World War II.
The arrival of those migrants in the Windrush
On June 22, 1948, 492 people from the Caribbean islands were brought to Tilbury Docks in the Essex on a ship whose name was Empire Windrush. While it was reported at that time that the ship carried 492 people, later analysis of the records of Windrush shows that it had 1,027 people onboard. Out of them, the last official country of residence of 802 people was somewhere in the Caribbean and additional documented countries of residence are India, Pakistan, Kenya and South Africa.
World War II was the most devastating battle that human civilisation had ever seen. It brought about unprecedented chaos all over the world and brought financial ruin to almost all the nations who took part in the war, irrespective of the fact that whether they were on the winning or the losing side. The economy of the UK was no exception and it needed a revival. To that end, the British government brought Afro-Caribbean migrants to their land and offered them jobs, including production of coal, steel, iron, and food, and they were also given work in the service sector like in public transport and staffing the new National Health Service.
Those African-Caribbean immigrants had to face racism from the white population and many of them were not given a place to stay and private jobs. Moreover, Black people were banned from many clubs and even churches. However, the situation changed with time.
How was the Windrush Day founded?
The Windrush Day came into being due to the efforts of Patrick Vernon, a British social commentator and political activist who first raised his voice for the establishment of the Windrush Day to recognise the contribution of the migrants to the UK society. In 2013, he launched a petition and campaigned further in 2018 at the height of the Windrush scandal. Finally, the government announced that Windrush Day would be celebrated on June 22 supported by a grant of up to £500,000.
Windrush Day not only honours the contributions of the migrants to the UK society but also sheds light on how the Windrush Generation founded the basis for the Black British society. On this day, communities across the country are encouraged to celebrate the contributions of the Windrush Generation and their descendants and it is also an opportunity to reflect on the difficulties faced by those migrants including rampant racism.
The economy of the UK was devastated by World War II and it needed a revival. To that end, the British government brought Afro-Caribbean migrants to their land and offered them jobs. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
