Professor Sir Patrick Vernon OBE FRHistS

My thanks to Ros Griffiths, Founder of the Big Caribbean Lunch and Chair of Friends of Windrush Square, together with the volunteers, artists, traders, performers and partners who continue to make this gathering such a special part of London’s Windrush calendar.

What began as a community initiative has become an important annual space for remembrance, celebration and intergenerational connection.

Today reminded us that Windrush is much more than a historical event.

It is about family.
It is about community.
It is about memory.
And it is about giving thanks.

As we move from Windrush 78 towards Windrush 80 and ultimately Windrush 100, we are also witnessing the end of a living era. We have lost many pioneers in recent years, including Sir Geoff Palmer, Baroness Ros Howells, Dr Aggrey Burke, Lessept Saunders, Clarence Thompson and Clovis “Sam the Wheels” Salmon.

With every elder we lose, we lose stories, memories and lived experiences that can never be replaced.

Our challenge now is clear:
➡️ Preserve oral histories
➡️ Protect archives
➡️ Invest in heritage organisations
➡️ Support a National Windrush Legacy Strategy
➡️ Pass these stories on to future generations

Yet Windrush Day must also remind us that the injustice of the Home Office Windrush Scandal has not gone away.
Too many victims and families are still waiting for compensation.

Too many people continue to live with the consequences of hostile environment policies.

Too many have died before receiving justice.

There is growing support for an independent public inquiry and for the compensation scheme to be removed from Home Office control. Campaigners continue to argue that survivors need access to funded legal advice and independent redress.

As I said today:
Recognition without justice remains incomplete for Windrush Day.
We celebrate the extraordinary contribution of the Windrush Generation, but we must also acknowledge the sacrifices they made and the injustices many continue to endure.

I closed my remarks by reflecting on the immortal words of the Isley Brothers’ Harvest for the World:
“Gather everyman, gather everywoman, celebrate your lives, give thanks for your children.”

As we gathered together in Windrush Square, surrounded by elders, families and young people, those words felt particularly fitting.

If Windrush 75 was about recognition, then Windrush 80 must be about preservation, and Windrush 100 must be about legacy.

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