Labour’s equalities lead, Cllr Amanda Grimshaw, on Windrush Day 2022:

Today the 22nd June is Windrush Day. I have been delighted to see many social media posts from friends for whom Windrush Day is part of their personal family history.

One said The 7 Cs of Windrush are:

• Contribution
• Commemoration
• Celebration
• Care
• Challenges
• Conflict
• Change

To see conflict on the list leads me to an article published by UCL in April 2022 which highlights work being undertaken under the heading ‘Windrush Scandal Victims to Speak Up About  Mental Health and Trauma’.

This will focus on the inter-generational consequences of the Windrush scandal on Caribbean and Black African families in the UK. Called ‘The Ties That Bind’, it is the first study to look at the impact of the Windrush scandal and hostile immigration policies.

To think of those men and women who accepted the country’s invitation to come to the UK post-WW2 to help rebuild Britain between 1948 and 1973 now facing trauma and their families now undergoing mental health and inter-generational trauma is a disgrace.

Dr Rochelle Burgess, Ass0ciate Professor at UCL and the principle investigator of ‘The Ties That Bind Project’, said; “The Windrush scandal is a heartbreaking example of the interactions between state orchestrated oppression, the violence of borders, and the way that black life is seen as expendable. It cuts to the heart of the ways that systems strip people of home, humanity, place and personhood.”

We as a Labour Party must do all we can to end hostile immigration policies and look to repair the damage already inflicted that has brought about the need for this study.

Locally, activities are taking place in June to celebrate the Black British experience and highlight the experiences of residents in the city.

On 29 June, Brighton & Hove BARCO (Black Anti Racism Community Organisation) are running a networking event for the Black community in Brighton & Hove.

The BMEYPP (Black & Minority Ethnic Young People’s Project) is running a quiz activity to match inspirational quotes to the Black leaders that said them at drop-in sessions for Black & Minority Ethnic young people in the city.

The BMEYPP are also running a project interviewing people of commonwealth heritage about their experiences in the UK, which will be made into a film and photography display.

You can find out more about the BMEYPP by following BMEYPP on facebook and BMEYPP on instagram.

#Windrush #WindrushGeneration #WindrushDay

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2022/apr/windrush-scandal-victims-speak-about-mental-health-and-trauma