#Windrush Scandal

[blackstarlineage]

Afro-Caribbean Migration and the Windrush Generation: A Garveyite Perspective

The Windrush Generation, the wave of Afro-Caribbean migrants who arrived in Britain between 1948 and the early 1970s, represents one of the most significant movements of Black people in the 20th century. These migrants came with hopes of economic opportunity, stability, and full participation in British society—only to be met with racism, systemic exclusion, and second-class citizenship. From a Garveyite perspective, this migration was not a success story of integration but a continuation of colonial exploitation, where Black labour was welcomed, but Black people were never truly accepted.

Marcus Garvey warned Black people that seeking equality in white-dominated societies was a trap—one that would always position them as outsiders, no matter how much they contributed. The true path to liberation, according to Garveyism, was not integration but self-determination, economic independence, and repatriation to Africa. Through this lens, the Windrush Generation’s struggles with racism, economic marginalization, and political betrayal were predictable outcomes of a system designed to exploit, not uplift, Black people.

1. The Colonial Roots of the Windrush Migration

The British Empire spent centuries enslaving, exploiting, and underdeveloping the Caribbean, extracting wealth while keeping Black people in a state of economic dependency. After World War II, Britain faced a labour shortage and turned to its former colonies for cheap labour.

A. The Illusion of British Citizenship

Caribbean people were legally British subjects, yet this citizenship was conditional on their usefulness to the empire.

Britain actively recruited Caribbean workers to rebuild its economy, presenting the idea that they were coming to a “motherland” that welcomed them.

This was a lie—they were only seen as labourers, not equals.

Example: The arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush in 1948 was symbolic of how Black people were invited to contribute to Britain’s economy but denied full participation in its society.

Key Takeaway: The British Empire never intended to treat Caribbean migrants as equals—it only needed their labour, not their presence.

2. Betrayal and Racism: The Windrush Experience in Britain

Upon arrival, Afro-Caribbean migrants were met with hostility, racism, and segregation, contradicting the British promise of inclusion.

A. Employment and Economic Exploitation

Windrush migrants were given low-paying, undesirable jobs in public transport, the NHS, and manufacturing.

White workers resented their presence, despite their essential contributions.

Discrimination in hiring and promotions kept many in poverty, despite their skills and qualifications.

Example: Many Black professionals, such as teachers and nurses, had their qualifications dismissed and were forced into menial labour.

B. Housing Discrimination and Social Rejection

Black migrants were refused housing by landlords with “No Blacks, No Irish, No Dogs” signs.

Many were forced into overcrowded, poorly maintained accommodations in segregated areas.

The government did nothing to address racial inequality, leaving Black people in economic and social isolation.

Example: Notting Hill Riots (1958)—White mobs attacked Black communities, proving that Britain’s “inclusion” was a lie.

Key Takeaway: Black people were brought in to serve Britain, not to be part of it. Their contributions were necessary, but their presence was unwanted.

3. The Windrush Scandal: The Final Betrayal

Decades after their arrival, the British government launched the Windrush Scandal (2018), deporting and stripping the rights of the very people who built modern Britain.

A. How Britain Used and Discarded the Windrush Generation

In the 2010s, the UK government began deporting Afro-Caribbean elders, claiming they were illegal immigrants.

Many lost jobs, homes, and access to healthcare due to racist immigration policies.

The same people who were invited to rebuild Britain were now being exiled from it.

Example: Elderly Windrush migrants who had lived in Britain for 50+ years were suddenly detained and deported, despite being legal residents.

Key Takeaway: This was proof that Black people would never be considered truly British, no matter how much they contributed.

4. The Garveyite Perspective: Afro-Caribbeans Must Prioritize Self-Determination Over Integration

Marcus Garvey predicted this long ago—integration into white nations is not liberation, but subjugation.

A. The Failure of Seeking Acceptance in White Societies

Windrush migrants spent decades building Britain, only to be discarded when they were no longer needed.

Assimilation into a white nation will never lead to true equality—Black people will always be second-class citizens.

Relying on white governments to recognize Black contributions is a mistake.

Example: Garvey warned that Black people must never beg white nations for rights but must build their own institutions instead.

B. The Need for Economic Independence and Pan-Africanism

Caribbean nations remain economically dependent on Britain, just as Windrush migrants remained dependent on a racist state.

The solution is Pan-African economic self-sufficiency—building Black-owned businesses, schools, and governments free from European control.

Caribbean people must stop seeing Britain as a future and look toward Africa, the Caribbean, and Black nations for their destiny.

Example: Garvey’s UNIA movement aimed to create a Black nation built by Black people, not dependent on white acceptance.

Key Takeaway: Afro-Caribbean people must stop seeking approval from Britain and instead build economic and political power for themselves.

5. The Future: Reparations, Repatriation, and Black Sovereignty

The Windrush Generation’s story is not just one of migration—it is a warning about the dangers of Black dependence on white systems.

Britain owes reparations for the exploitation, racism, and betrayal of Afro-Caribbean migrants.

Afro-Caribbean youth must shift their focus away from Britain and toward Black economic and cultural independence.

Repatriation to Africa, economic investment in the Caribbean, and Pan-African unity must replace the outdated belief that integration into European society is the path to freedom.

Example: Marcus Garvey’s dream was a self-sufficient Black world, where no Black person had to beg a white government for survival.

Final Takeaway: The Windrush Generation’s suffering proves that Black people must build for themselves—because white nations will always turn their backs on them.

[thoughtportal]

In this film visual artist Barbara Walker MBE, RA shows us around her studio in Birmingham and talks about the themes present in her practice, including temporality, power and body politics.

We also see her creating a free-hand wall drawing in Towner Gallery as part of her series Burden of Proof, whereby she creates large-scale in-situ portraits of individuals affected by the Windrush Scandal

Barbara Walker is nominated for the 2023 Turner Prize, hosted by Towner Eastbourne. The winner will be announced on 5 December 2023.

[rochelleloro]

The Voice of Reason | Spoken Word Poem | Rochelle LoRo I've hesitated for months to share this video, fearing controversy and misinterpretation. But my poem, 'The Voice of Reason,' written in 2013, remains relevant. I hope these words inspire unity and change in ourselves and our communities. 🤝 ===================== FYI..

👥 *BLACK PEOPLE: . I am not implying that there's a racial element to serious youth violence. I am addressing a specific community with a shared experience and also the need for unity within our community. ✊

🚢 *SHIP HOME/DEPORTATION: Written before the 2018 Windrush scandal. This is another controversial line that time proved to be true. 🤷‍♀️

Inspired by tragic events, including Charlotte Polius, Joseph Burke-Monerville, and Derek Boateng's murders. 🙏😢🕊️

Performed at Robyn Travis's book launch for 'Prisoner to the Streets' at the Hackney Empire. 📚

Please SUBSCRIBE, LIKE, COMMENT, SHARE to spread this message. 📢

With love, strength, and peace, Rochelle LoRo x Spoken Word Artist

[transformationalremotehealer]

SCANDAL windrush continues

UK's immigration regulations were tightened "with complete disregard for the Windrush generation" and that officials had made "irrational" demands for multiple documents to establish residency rights.

Despite a compensation scheme being announced in December 2018, by November 2021, only an estimated 5 per cent of victims had received any compensation and 23 of those eligible had died before receiving payments. Three separate Parliamentary committees had issued reports during 2021 criticising Home Office slowness and ineffectiveness in providing redress to victims and calling for the scheme to be taken out of the hands of the Home Office.

[ausetkmt]

Carl Nwazota was born and grew up in the London suburb of Wembley to parents from Jamaica and Nigeria. For 26 years, he was a UK citizen with a British passport – until it was confiscated by the Home Office after he tried to renew it in 2000, he told CNN.

For the next 22 years, Nwazota lived in constant fear of being deported as his life began to unravel.

His business was closed because he was prevented from working by the Home Office, and he could not gain employment or social housing due to his lack of documents, he said. He was forced to live in temporary accommodation, with intermittent periods of homelessness. He watched the world pass him by from the fringes of society: sleeping in a tent under a shop window, or in an abandoned van in a supermarket car park. Often, he would go to bed hungry due to his benefits being stopped, he recalled – as “no fixed abode” became his new identity in the corridors of the job center.

Christmases and birthdays passed by for almost two decades until the Home Office acknowledged that Nwazota was a British citizen over a phone call in 2018, he said.

For the next four years, Nwazota says, he remained homeless while he struggled to regain his passport. Many of his documents were lost after he claims the council threw away his tent, and he could not receive response letters from the Home Office as he had no permanent address.

“I had been told I was a British citizen – but I was still waiting to get back my passport, waiting for an apology from the Home Office – all while living in a van. I’m not a weak guy but I had no hope. I tried to take my own life,” he said.

Nwazota has since recovered and received his passport from the Home Office in 2022. “The first thing I did when I got my passport back was get a job – and I’m proud to say, I work as a bin man (refuse collector). But even though I’m back in the real world – it’s too late for me. I’m 49 years old now. The Home Office has taken my life from me.”

Nwazota is one of thousands who found their lives derailed in what became to be known as the Windrush scandal, which saw the British Home Office deny residency rights and citizenship to many people who had been living in the UK legally for most, if not all, of their lives.

The victims were members and descendants of the so-called Windrush generation – mostly Caribbean migrants who moved to Britain in the post World War II-era in answer to a call for labor shortages, with the first arriving on the Empire Windrush 75 years ago Thursday. Citizens of former British colonies in South Asia and Africa also became entangled in the scandal.

Like Nwazota, many of their children had been born in Britain and have known no other home, yet also had their UK citizenship revoked.

Experts told CNN this was due to the UK government’s “hostile environment” policy – a government crackdown on immigration that misclassified the Windrush generation as illegal immigrants.

This has led to multiple generations suffering often devastating harm: job losses, home evictions, no access to healthcare, detentions and even deportations, as outlined in the government commissioned Windrush Lessons Learned Review. In 2018, the Windrush Compensation Scheme was set up to provide compensation to victims of the scandal.

In April that year, Britain’s then-Prime Minister, Theresa May, apologized for her government’s treatment of some Caribbean immigrants and insisted they were still welcome in the country.

But on the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush, thousands are still struggling to access compensation despite the Home Office reinstating their British citizenship.

In April, a report by the NGO Human Rights Watch stated that the Windrush compensation scheme “is failing victims and violating the rights of many to an effective remedy for human rights abuses they suffered.”

Nwazota has applied to the Windrush Compensation Scheme four times – but his application has always been rejected.

In documents seen by CNN, Nwazota was told by the Home Office that he meets the eligibility criteria to apply for compensation but that it has been unable to determine “whether he suffered detrimental impacts” due to a lack of evidence.

Nwazota is currently struggling to find a lawyer to take his case due to his lack of documents and funds.

According to the latest Home Office statistics, 1,518 people have received compensation so far. Another 381 have had their claims refused or withdrawn due to ineligibility and 1,988 have claims that “meet the eligibility criteria” but have been awarded zero compensation. This suggests that of an estimated 15,000 victims believed to be eligible for compensation, some 90% have yet to receive any payout since the scandal broke five years ago.

Anna Steiner, a lawyer and academic who represents Windrush claimants, told CNN that the Windrush compensation scheme is “not fit for purpose.”

“The government has access to all the victims’ documents: health records, information from the passport office and their employment history. These are British people who have paid tax and national insurance, have worked for all their lives and the government has confirmed their status as UK citizens, and yet, victims are still being denied access to compensation for the harm caused to their lives,” Steiner said.

“Even when you’ve spent months gathering evidence, drafted clear statements, and have demonstrated a clear impact on (victims’) lives, applications are not assessed properly by the Home Office. There seems to be a bureaucratic tick-box attitude to the claims where people are not recognized as human beings,” Steiner added.

Thomas Tobierre was stripped of the right to work after being told he was not a British citizen and has subsequently received compensation, but his wife Caroline, who was also entitled to compensation under the Windrush scheme, only received her payment after she died with cancer.

“My wife had to work while she was ill – because I was not allowed to work because of the Home Office,” Tobierre told CNN.

“The level of evidence you have to produce is ridiculous – it is almost impossible to prove your status,” said Charlotte Tobierre, Thomas’ daughter. “Because they took so long to compensate, we ran out of time to enjoy life with my mum. The last year of my mum’s life was ruined – the Windrush scandal overshadowed my mum’s battle with cancer.

“When the compensation arrived, it just about covered the cost of her funeral.”

To make matters more complicated, the Windrush Compensation Scheme does not make allowances for legal costs in making claims, Steiner told CNN.

This means that many of the applicants who have been out of work and accumulated debt cannot afford the legal representation they need to help with their claims, Zita Holbourne, co-founder and national chair of anti-racism group Black Activists Rising Against Cuts and a Windrush campaigner, told CNN.

“Approaching its 75th anniversary, the government should be doing something to make the scheme accessible – and the scheme should take it out of the hands of the Home Office. People have no trust when applying because they are the same institution that detained, criminalized and deported the applicants in the first place,” Holbourne added.

Anthony Bryan,now 65, was 8 years old when he moved to Britain from Jamaica.He told CNN he was detained by the UK government on two separate occasions in 2017 – and was going to be deported to Jamaicaby the Home Office until a last-minute intervention from his lawyers. He had also lost his job after he was asked for a right to work permit, he said, and he had been stripped of healthcare access after falling ill. Bryan could not claim benefits, as he did not have the required documents, he added.

His British nationality has since been reinstated. The Home Office has offered him – after deductions – £65,000 and he is appealing. His wife Janet, who is also entitled to compensation, is also appealing her offer under the scheme. Windrush Lives, an advocacy group and victim support network which is helping Janet, says the Home Office is currently disputing the £300 she is claiming for expenses after she repeatedly traveled to visit Bryan while he was wrongfully detained for five weeks.

The Home Office has not yet responded to CNN’s request for comment on these cases and its wider handling of the Windrush Compensation Scheme.

According to the latest government statistics from the Home Office, 1,227 claimants are seeking a review. Meanwhile, the number of people being awarded zero compensation is continuing to rise – particularly over the past year. While in April 2022 there were only 26 applicants eligible but receiving zero compensation, a year later this number had risen almost six-fold to 152.

As the backlogs and rejections grow, Home Secretary Suella Braverman issued a statement in January that rowed back on three of the recommendations from the government-commissioned “Windrush Lessons Learned Review.”

These included the appointment of a migrants’ commissioner and the commitment to hold a series of “reconciliation events” with people affected, to “listen and reflect on their stories,” the Windrush Lessons Learned Review stated.

Subira Cameron-Goppy, who works as part of the Windrush Justice Clinic, providing support to victims, told CNN: “The UK government consistently double-down on their own mistakes and have failed to rectify their errors. These failures are a part of a continuation of the government’s hostile environment policy.”

In February 2023, the Conservative government published an assessment of the hostile environment policy’s impact between 2014 and 2018. The report concluded that the five nationalities most impacted by the policy were of Brown or Black heritage and all five were visibly not White.

Ramya Jaidev, a co-founder of Windrush Lives, told CNN that the hostile environment was not simply about “two or three specific policy errors but is the result of a series of increasing legislative push-backs that started in 1962 with the reduction of the rights of Black people. The attitude towards migrants is to phase them out. The Windrush Compensation Scheme is an extension of a hostile environment for Black and Brown people.”

For some people, any compensation awarded is too late. Taiwo Abiona arrived in the UK in the late 50s from Nigeria. He worked as a postman for the Royal Mail, paid taxes and got a British passport in the 1960s. After the death of his wife, Stella, he went to renew his passport – but he was told he was no longer a British citizen, his son, Kemi Abiona, told CNN.

“They said a change of policy in the 70s meant he had to reapply then – we didn’t know he had to reapply – as far as we’re concerned he was a British citizen. When my dad lost his passport, he was devastated, and his health quickly deteriorated. He had no access to proper healthcare because he did not have the documents,” Abiona told CNN.

“While he was sick, we had been told to apply for a new passport through the Windrush scheme and we were told he would get compensation,” Abiona added. He helped his father fill in the application himself, because they could not afford a lawyer. “I kept telling my dad we will have money soon,” Abiona said.

In 2020, Taiwo Abiona received a letter saying he had indefinite leave to stay and that he would be able to apply for UK citizenship after a period of living in the UK – despite having lived there for nearly 70 years. “We were told compensation was on the way so we could get a carer for my dad – but it was too late,” Abiona told CNN. His fatherdied two weeks after being told by the Home Office he could stay in the UK.

A week after his death, the Home Office paid £5,000 compensation to cover some of the cost of his funeral, Kemi Abiona said. He is now making a Windrush compensation claim through the Home Office to save up for a headstone for his father’s grave.

[interact-if]

Black History Month Author Spotlight: Kiki

Our third edition of the Black History Month Author Spotlight series, features Kiki (@scapegoated-if)!

(I’m rly happy to have gotten to know Kiki better through the feature, and the interview contains really interesting insights on gender and race-locked main characters in interactive fiction, among other things! If you haven’t yet played Scapegoated (and if you’re a fan of Infamous/music IFs, definitely give it a go!)

Author: Kiki Born and raised North London, but ethnic background Jamaican (my parents are a part of the Windrush Gen)

Games: Scapegoated (slice-of-life, music, hollywood, '70s)

Short blurb: Scapegoated is about a female musician in a band that is seguing into an acting career. She is facing a lot of blame and scandal regarding the split between her band that happened in 1968. Not only are a lot of the general public hurt and angry about it, but so is an infamous serial killer that has been terrorising the west coast...

Quotes from the interview

I’m from North London. My parents moved to London when they were children from the Caribbean and are a part of the Windrush generation. I am a black, bisexual woman growing up in the UK, a place that tends to disguise its wider prejudices as a classist issue in all cases. […] A huge part of my love for music is strongly intertwined with my relationship with my late father. He passed away in June of 2023, and he was very much so kickin’ it in the ‘70s. He was a DJ throughout his life, so the legacy of LPs that he left behind was unspeakable and very ‘70s.

Read on for the full interview!

Tell me more about yourself! What are some things new readers or long-time readers might not know about you?

I graduated from a Russell Group university with an English Literature BA (Hons). I think a part of me has always wanted to be a writer in some capacity; I know that I’ve always wanted to write a book. So, I think beginning this IF has existed for me as a gateway to see what that would be like. I thought of it as a brainteaser–the prospect of exploring different outcomes and different pathways that a character may undertake. It has been challenging, dare I say more challenging than writing an actual book, but that’s exactly what I wanted out of this process.

Can you tell me a bit about what you’re working on right now and your journey into interactive fiction? What inspired the game/story you’re currently writing?

My best friend introduced me to the world of interactive fiction one day last year. She introduced Infamous to me and asserted that I would really like it because I’m a huge music nerd. Of course I fell in love with the characters and the world, but I also fell in love with the format of IFs. 

A huge part of my love for music is strongly intertwined with my relationship with my late father. He passed away in June of 2023, and he was very much so kickin’ it in the ‘70s. He was a DJ throughout his life, so the legacy of LPs that he left behind was unspeakable and very ‘70s. I am a huge music lover with such a wide-spanning eclectic taste, but the period of music post-”Dylan going electric”, post-”Elvis being on the out”, Quincy Jones (rest in king) and Beatlemania is just everything to me, so the idea for Scapegoated came into my life in a very natural way. I knew that whichever story I told, I wanted it to explore the Sunset Strip, groupies, rock ‘n roll, The Beatles, The Manson Family and Cher all at its core. 

I am of the opinion that coverage of the ‘70s music scene has been run into the ground lately. There has been a resurgence of nostalgia within the public consciousness when reflecting upon this time due to Daisy Jones & The Six, which was one of my favourite shows the year it was released. So, including Hollywood and murder was my attempt at innovation.

How has your identity, heritage/background, upbringing, or personal experiences influenced your storytelling or writing process? OR How does your work feature aspects of your identity / experience?

I’m from North London. My parents moved to London when they were children from the Caribbean and are a part of the Windrush generation. I am a black, bisexual woman growing up in the UK, a place that tends to disguise its wider prejudices as a classist issue in all cases. I am writing Scapegoated as someone that has only been to the US twice for two weeks at a time. I am writing Scapegoated as someone that can only relate to two aspects of my main character. I am writing Scapegoated as someone that has experienced discrimination and has been scarred by instances of discrimination. In university, I tended to be quite outspoken; in my first year, I felt quite ostracised by my predominantly white cohort during the BLM movement, because I seemed to be the only one willing to speak out in favour of it.

When I first wrote Scapegoated, I was inboxed on Tumblr and replied to on the Choice of Games Forum with genuine curiosity about my choice to gender and race lock my protagonist. This is an excerpt of my response:

I didn’t want to have a self-insert MC because I wanted to ensure that the conversations had revolving these social issues and the murders that unfold aren’t danced around. Perspective is an extremely important factor in that, and I want to ensure that the MC is directly involved–rather than just there as things happen because it wouldn’t be interactive. [...] Initially when I planned this story, before it was titled and the only thing I knew was that I wanted to write an IF about the '70s music scene, it was neither gender or race locked [...]. But I did toy with my ideas by self-inserting (I’m a black woman) when I was attempting to figure out the logistics of gameplay. That’s when I realised that due to the time period and all of the change that was happening at the time, social issues had to be discussed.

To this day, I am extremely proud of my decision and the conviction in my decision. I asserted a level of loyalty to the story I am telling in a way that I didn’t know I was capable of; retrospectively, I think I took a kind of power in it. But I really love the story I am telling and the range of representation. 

I am trying to work the line of prioritising my vision, all the while giving weight and importance to my readers’ opinions in the way that these very interesting and thorough opinions deserve. It warms my heart that even one person might care about my characters just as much as I do.

what are some of the most rewarding or challenging aspects of writing Interactive Fiction for you?

Songwriting. I’m tragic at it, but I like to think I’m self-aware enough. There are different characters with different voices and different reasonings behind their songwriting styles. I struggle to ensure that their songwriting oozes with their individual personalities. 

What does your writing process look like? Any rituals or habits? Any tips, tricks, philosophies or approaches that have worked very well for you?

Story beats. However, planning and writing can exist as two entirely different realms to me. What I think the story may be, can develop into something entirely new all on its own once I begin to write. Sometimes characters that I think I know transform into someone entirely new once I start to get to know them through writing their dialogue. I’ve experienced this with several characters already. On the contrary, some characters are so secure in my mind that they can’t be anything other than who I’ve introduced them to myself as.

I really love the writing process I’ve conjured up. It hasn’t failed me yet, but it isn’t secure–writing can never be anything other than an insecure process. Writing, for me, always remains in a constant stage of planning.

Do you have favourite interactive fiction games, characters, scenes or authors that you’d like to recommend?

I have received a lot of IF recommendations due to how new I am to IFs. I truly haven’t read very many, so all I can recommend to anybody are the 3 IFs that I have read which I each loved enormously: Infamous; College Tennis: Origin Story; and Apartment 502.

If you were to say one thing to your readers, other authors, and/or the interactive fiction community: what would it be?

I only got here in December, and so far everyone has been extremely welcoming and helpful. Honestly, I have no notes. All I can do is encourage everyone to give writing a chance. It’s been so fruitful and rewarding for me, so I strongly urge everyone to give it a shot if you’re considering it. Stop thinking, just do!

Any books, music, movies etc. you’re obsessed with at the moment, or which changed your life (or perspectives on something)?

I’m currently reading I’m With The Band by Pamela Des Barres as research for my IF, which has been a great insight into the mindset of groupies on an intimate level.

As for something that changed my life, I recently watched Sing Sing (2024)--which wasn’t something I did in relation to Scapegoated, I am just an avid film-watcher–and it was such an incredible de-stigmatising eye into the prison system. An extremely important watch for Black History Month, too!

This-or-that segment: (bold = Kiki's pick)

Coffee or tea?

Early mornings or late nights?

City or countryside?

Angsty or Cozy romances? (Or enemies-to-lovers or best-friends-to-lovers?)  

Steady progress or frenzied binge-writing followed by periods of calm?

Summer or Winter?

First drafts or editing?

Introvert or extrovert?

Plotter or pantser?

Characters or plot first?

Kiki’s custom “either-or” pairing: writing in silence or with music playing?

[aeolianblues]

It was never about ‘illegal immigration’. It was never about ‘border control’. It’s never about ‘ensuring only the brightest can access our resources’. It’s a tool of oppression and nothing else. That’s all borders have been, from the anti-Chinese acts and anti-Japanese immigration acts in the 19th century to the Muslim bans of his first administration. You can look at examples elsewhere. The distinction between colonies and white commonwealth countries in terms of visa privileges. The Windrush scandal. Canada’s restriction of people from colonial India even landing on their shores. Australia’s disgusting immigration policies. The UK’s ‘hostile environment’. It’s always. Been. A partisan political tool, and I feel like I’m going both mad and hoarse feeling like the only one shouting about this.

Ngl fellas. The rest of us having been alarmed and raising alarms for years. Until white citizens start taking it seriously, the enormity of the situation is literally not going to come to light. People aren’t about to realise until it’s too late and affecting white people. Everyone’s from somewhere else, and you aren’t realising that until it’s going to hit you.

[frightfullytreeish]

It's so fascinating to me that america's biggest and often most groundbreaking cultural event of the year happens in the halftime of a sports game

The british equivalent would be like if stormzy and paul mccartney did a duet about the windrush scandal in the middle of the premier league final or maybe in the ad break of the eastenders christmas special

[world-of-wales]

Prince William will meet Windrush passengers in a new documentary to mark the 75th anniversary of Empire Windrush's arrival in the UK.

The Prince of Wales will join celebrities including newsreader Sir Trevor McDonald, Mel B, Alesha Dixon and comedian Judi Love to meet members of the Windrush generation and hear their inspirational life stories for the ITV documentary.

Each will meet people from the Windrush generation and hear their stories to provide a powerful and eye-opening insight into the experiences of a community of more than 500,000 who arrived in Britain between 1948 and 1971 initially to work in the NHS and on transport networks.

Contributors will also be invited to the Pride Of Britain Awards in October where they will accept a special award on behalf of others in the Windrush generation.

One of the contributors is Alford Gardner, a 97-year-old, who moved to the UK from Jamaica when he was 22 in 1948.

Filmed across the UK and produced by Multistory Media [part of ITV Studios], the 1x60 film, the Windrush Generation, will bring together stories that celebrate their contributions to British life and culture, as well as shedding light on the reality of the struggle many faced to gain citizenship despite having lived and paid taxes in the UK for many years as a result of what became known as the Windrush scandal.

The film is being made in association with Pride of Britain and the Daily Mirror. It is commissioned for ITV by Nicola Lloyd, Factual Commissioning Editor and Sue Murphy, Head of Factual Entertainment.

[intothedysphoria]

For everyone voting for the first time/voting for the first time after realising the earth is a fascist hell scape and becoming disillusioned with the two party systems in the UK and US (because joy we’ve got elections coming up in the same year) please read this post

If you are voting third party/independents do not become single issue voters

There are grifters who are taking advantage of the genocide of Palestine in order to further a more insidious far right ideology (George Galloway of the workers party being a prime example). There are other far right politicians using coded language about certain ethnic or religious groups and cloaking that in feigning to care about working class people. These people are not always obvious, some of them are extremely good at hiding.

Vote according to the candidate’s position on Palestine. And the DRC. And Sudan. And Myanmar. And Hawaii. And indigenous rights. And the rights of African Americans and black British individuals. And Ukraine. And Brexit. And Trump. And Ireland. And January 6th. And Flint, Michigan. And the Windrush Scandal. And police brutality. And trans youth. And covid. And disability rights. And dignity for refugees. And migration. And rights for the unhoused. And taking a stance against racism and misogyny and homophobia and antisemitism and islamophobia and so many more things depending on what’s going on in your local area.

I know that sounds exhausting. But please try.

[angelofsmalldeath-codeine]

The elections are over in the UK.

Shabbaz has a really good summary of the current situation. It’s worth taking a look.

And if my peeps over here live in the UK, please go out and vote in every election. Demand accountability from your local representatives. You can hold them accountable when they aren’t living up to their manifesto.

I no longer live in the UK. I was one of the many European migrant workers that left because of Brexit. The environment was hostile, the whole settlement scheme was giving dejavú of the Windrush scandal. Residency was now dependent on work visas, citizenship no longer attainable.

If you still live in the UK do your utmost to keep the tories out. Jacob Rees Mogg does not have your best interest at heart, his businesses are not even located in the UK. Boris Johnson got his French passport while he was pushing for Brexit. They’ve trashed the country to let you living in rubbles while they have a escape route.

[ladymazzy]

Seeing all these Windrush celebrations in the UK is bittersweet in so many ways given the backdrop. We have a tory government that is; explicitly anti-immigrant; has hijacked the word 'woke' to use as a pejorative against progressivism; demonises all attempts to include the histories and perspectives of those of us who aren't white British; is quite content to manipulatively use far-right talking points about the 'forgotten white white working class' when it suits them (despite the fact that tories are in fact a major part of the self-same political establishment who 'forgot' the white working class...)

This same month that we celebrate Windrush, we commemorate those who died in Grenfell, and those who have died at sea as they sought sanctuary and family reunion in the UK

Meanwhile, Braverman's has already reneged on the tory's promise to follow through on a set of recommendations made after the investigation into the Windrush scandal. Unsurprising, given just how keen she is to send asylum seekers off to Rwanda, and arrest anyone who protests. Not to mention the fact that the Home Office is still dragging its feet on paying compensation to the victims of the Home Office's cruelty

There's cognitive dissonance and then there's whatever the hell is going on in the minds of the government when they attempt to join in celebrating the contributions of postwar arrivals from the commonwealth