The Gleaner: Plans on for Windrush 75th anniversary celebrations
Plans on for Windrush 75th anniversary celebrations
London:
The 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush in Tilbury Docks, Essex will be celebrated in June 2023 and already, plans are being drawn up to make it a significant occasion, as was the 70th anniversary in 2018.
Among the groups active in this is the ‘Windrush 75 Network’, led by campaigner Patrick Vernon, who says the 75th anniversary year offers an opportunity to seek the widest possible recognition of Windrush Day, and to deepen the public conversation about the past, present and future of multi-ethnic Britain at a crucial time for the public conversation about race and identity.
The arrival of the Empire Windrush in Tilbury Docks in June 1948 has become a highly symbolic moment in the story of the black British contribution to Britain, and the broader post-war migration from across the Commonwealth, and beyond, that has reshaped modern Britain.
The late Sam King, RAF veteran and Windrush passenger, conceived of the idea of marking the anniversary as Windrush Day.