Windrush Day commemorates the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush in Britain, with more than 800 passengers from the Caribbean on board - the ‘Windrush generation’.
This year’s Windrush Day marks 77 years since the arrival of the Windrush, and there are many events honouring the occasion. Windrush Day occurs on June 22 every year and celebrates the cultural and societal contributions made by the migrants from the Caribbean community who made Britain their home.
It is estimated that around 500,000 people living in the UK are part of the Windrush Generation, who arrived between 1948 and 1971.
They arrived not only seeking work, but also the promise of a better life in Britain. However, whilst jobs were plentiful, for many the experience of assimilating was fraught with hostility, intolerance, and racism.
In 2018, the Windrush scandal came to light, which saw at least 83 British-Caribbeans wrongly deported from the UK by the Home Office, which adds further hurt to their story.
To mark the 77th anniversary of the arrival of the Windrush, we’ve taken a look at some notable figures and descendants from that generation, many of whom have campaigned for better rights for migrants (both first and second generation) from the Caribbean community in the UK.
9. Steve McQueen, film director
Born in late-’60s London to parents from Trinidad and Grenada, Steve McQueen is not himself a member of the Windrush generation but a direct descendant of it. His recent BBC mini series Small Axe is a string of films, and an absorbing portrait of the West Indian British experience in the mid-20th century. | Getty Images for RFF
10. British newsreader and journalist Sir Trevor McDonald
Sir Trevor was the first Black news anchor in the UK and has won more awards than any other British broadcaster. After working as a print and broadcast journalist in Trinidad during the 1960s, in 1969, McDonald was employed by BBC Radio as a producer, based in London but still broadcasting to the Caribbean. In 1973, he began his long association with Independent Television News as a general reporter and was also ITN’s first black reporter. | Getty Images