Today, 22 June 2024, is Windrush Day
Windrush Day is an annual celebration of the contributions of the Windrush Generation and their descendants.
In 1948, hundreds of Caribbean passengers boarded the Empire Windrush ship at Trinidad, Jamaica and Bermuda many bound for a new life in Britain.
That journey has since become a symbol for diversity and shared histories. In the years that followed more people from the Caribbean made the journey to Britain by ship and later, increasingly by plane.
In 2018 the British government announced 22 June as Windrush Day. Before 2018 the event was already being recognised and celebrated by community groups throughout the UK. For example, I have in my book collection a little book published in 1998 by the Black Cultural Archives and Lambeth Council called The Windrush Legacy, Memories of Britain’s post-war Caribbean Immigrants.
Education is a key theme of the day, beyond food, drink and music there is an effort to inform people about the history of the Windrush generation by including talks in the celebrations. These talks sometimes feature elders sharing their personal experiences coming to Britain from the Caribbean.
Schools can use the occasion to begin introducing Black history content into their curriculum.
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