Windrush Day is a commemoration in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

held on 22 June to honour the contributions of migrants to the post-war economy. Specifically, it celebrates African-Caribbeans who began arriving on the HMT ''

Empire Windrush HMT ''Empire Windrush'' was a passenger motor ship that was launched in Germany in 1930 as the MV ''Monte Rosa''. She was built as an ocean liner for the German shipping company Hamburg Süd. They used the ship to carry German emigrants to Sou ...

'' in 1948. Later known as the "

Windrush generation British African-Caribbean people or British Afro-Caribbean people are an ethnic group in the United Kingdom. They are British citizens or residents of recent Caribbean heritage who further trace much of their ancestry to West and Central Africa. ...

", these

economic migrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

s were an important part of the UK's recovery from the privations of World War II . Windrush Day is not a bank holiday but has grown in popularity since a campaign by

Patrick Vernon Patrick Philip Vernon (born 1961)"Patrick Vernon"
, Sankofa 2013: Teachers' R ...

led to its introduction in 2018.

History

On 22 June 1948, 492 Caribbean people arrived at

Tilbury Docks The Port of Tilbury is a port located on the River Thames at Tilbury in Essex, England. It serves as the principal port for London, as well as being the main United Kingdom port for handling the importation of paper. There are extensive facili ...

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

, in the UK, on the ''Empire Windrush'' ship."Windrush: A landmark in the history of modern Britain"
''The History Press''. News reports at the time reported that the number of people was 492, but the ship's records show that the ship was carrying 1,027 passengers. According to the passenger lists, 802 of those on board the ship gave their last country of residence as somewhere in the Caribbean. Despite a vast labour surplus in the United Kingdom in the aftermath of

World War 2 World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilisin ...

African-Caribbean Afro-Caribbean or African Caribbean people are Caribbean people who trace their full or partial ancestry to Sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of the modern Afro-Caribbean people descend from the Africans (primarily from West and Central Africa) ta ...

migrants independently travelled to the United Kingdom to find work. These jobs included the production of steel, coal, iron, and food, and also jobs in the service sector, such as running public transport and staffing the new

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...

in the United Kingdom. There is no record of the post-war Labour government (in power at the time of the arrival of the Empire Windrush) encouraging African-Caribbean migrants to settle in the United Kingdom. Many early immigrants were denied access to private employment and accommodation because of the colour of their skin. Black people were also banned from many pubs, clubs, and even churches.

Campaign

Patrick Vernon Patrick Philip Vernon (born 1961)"Patrick Vernon"
, Sankofa 2013: Teachers' R ...

was the first to call for the commemoration of "Windrush Day", to recognise the migrant contribution to UK society, on the day when the first big group of post-war migrants from the Caribbean arrived in Britain.Vernon, Patrick (21 June 2013)
"Why Windrush Day matters"
British Future. Vernon first launched a petition to this effect in 2013, which was followed by a further campaign in 2018, at the height of the

Windrush scandal The Windrush scandal was a British political scandal that began in 2018 concerning people who were wrongly detained, denied legal rights, threatened with deportation, and in at least 83 cases wrongly deported from the UK by the Home Office. Many o ...

. Official backing was given when it was subsequently announced by the government that an annual Windrush Day would be celebrated on 22 June, supported by a grant of up to £500,000, to recognise and honour the contribution of the Windrush Generation and their descendants and to "keep their legacy alive for future generations, ensuring that we all celebrate the diversity of Britain's history."

Modern day

The purpose of Windrush Day is to encourage "communities across the country to celebrate the contribution of the

Windrush Generation British African-Caribbean people or British Afro-Caribbean people are an ethnic group in the United Kingdom. They are British citizens or residents of recent Caribbean heritage who further trace much of their ancestry to West and Central Africa. ...

and their descendants", according to the United Kingdom government. "A Windrush Day will allow communities up and down the country to recognise and honour the enormous contribution of those who stepped ashore at Tilbury Docks 70 years ago", said communities minister

Nick Bourne Nicholas Henry Bourne, Baron Bourne of Aberystwyth (born 1 January 1952) is a Conservative Party politician who served as Leader of the Welsh Conservative Party and Member of the Welsh Assembly for Mid and West Wales from August 1999 until ...

. Government funding helps a variety of events and activities to take place, such as the day dance performances, exhibitions, and debate. On Windrush Day 2021, a plaque was erected in memory of British immigrant rights activist

Paulette Wilson Paulette Wilson (20 March 1956 – 23 July 2020) was a British immigrant rights activist who fought her own deportation to Jamaica and brought media attention to the human rights violations of the Windrush scandal. Biography Wilson was born in ...

, a member of the "

" (which term usually refers to those who were born in the Caribbean and settled in the UK between 1948 and 1971). The plaque was launched with campaigners including

Patrick Vernon Patrick Philip Vernon (born 1961)"Patrick Vernon"
, Sankofa 2013: Teachers' R ...

and Claire Darke MBE as well as her family at the Wolverhampton Heritage Centre. The centre is a cornerstone of the area's local Caribbean community and was formerly the constituency office of

Enoch Powell John Enoch Powell (16 June 19128 February 1998) was a British politician, scholar and writer. He served as Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Wolverhampton South West for the Conservative Party (UK), Conserv ...

, where the infamous "Rivers of Blood" speech was written. On Windrush Day 2022, the

National Windrush Monument The National Windrush Monument is a bronze sculpture by Basil Watson in London Waterloo station. The monument commemorates the British African-Caribbean immigrants who came to the United Kingdom on board HMT ''Empire Windrush'' in 1948, who w ...

was unveiled at

Waterloo Station Waterloo station (), also known as London Waterloo, is a major central London railway terminus on the National Rail network in the United Kingdom, in the Waterloo area of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is connected to a London Undergroun ...

, London. In 2025, Windrush Day will be on Sunday 22 June 2025 with events scheduled to take place across the country.

References

{{Reflist, 30em

External links

"Windrush Day in the United Kingdom"
at timeanddate.com Caribbean diaspora in the United Kingdom June observances Windrush Recurring events established in 2018