North East and Yorkshire Leadership Academy

Windrush Day

Posted on:

What is Windrush Day?

Windrush Day was created to recognise the Windrush Generation’s contributions to the UK and celebrate their accomplishments.

The Windrush Generation is a term used to describe people who arrived to the UK from Caribbean countries between 1948 and 1971, to help fill post-war labour shortages. Many in the Windrush Generation had served in the British Armed Forces in World War Two and would fill in many roles such as manual workers, cleaners, drivers, nurses, and campaigners for black-British rights. For example, Sam Beaver King served in the RAF during the War and would go on to become a postal worker, cofound Notting Hill Carnival and be the first black mayor of Southwark.

When is Windrush Day?

Windrush Day takes place annually on 22 June. This day was chosen to celebrate the Windrush generation because the passenger liner and cruise ship, HMT Empire Windrush, was the ship that brought 492 passengers from a number of Caribbean countries to the UK on 22 June.

Why is there a Windrush Day?

Patrick Vernon is a social commentator and historian who campaigned for Windrush Day to be recognised as a day for celebration and awareness since 2010.

In his article “Why Windrush Matters” Patrick shares that despite growing up in a multicultural neighbourhood, his local MP Enoch Powell and the National Front made the area very unsafe for Black, Asian, and ethnic minorities in Wolverhampton. This backlash against multiculturalism and migration clashed with Patrick’s appreciation for art, music, and culture from all sorts of people in his area – so he wanted to raise awareness about the good things migration has brought to the UK. Patrick thought recognising Windrush Day as a national day would be the perfect way to do this.

In 2018, Patrick Vernon’s campaign succeeded and the UK government finally announced that Windrush Day would be recognised as a national awareness day.

Alyson Malach, who is an author of a number of publications and articles on education and equality, shares with us her poem ‘Windrush Story’, which she wrote in 2019.

The poem shares some of her father’s experiences of his first arrival to the UK in 1955:

“My father arrived in England in 1955.
He came to work on an invitation, leaving behind his life.
He left his partner and his children three,
to work hard, share his skills and help prop up the UK economy.
I was a just baby, just three and a half weeks old.
He left me, my brother and sister.
To send for us later, my mother was told.”

Windrush facts you should know

Here are a few quick Windrush Day facts to know: