Patrick Vernon

Overwhelming demand for more Windrush history – poll

Research from British Future finds public want more action from government to tackle systemic racism in society.

THREE QUARTERS of the public, and 8 in 10 people from a Black or ethnic minority background, think that children should learn about the Windrush and how post-war migration shaped today’s society.

The survey, published ahead of the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush, revealed two-thirds (67 percent) face everyday discrimination.

Eighty percent of Black and minority ethnic Britons say more action is needed to tackle racism.

Polling by the think tank British Future found that 87 percent of Black and Asian people believed that much more progress is needed to address systemic racism.

The figures were released as part of the British ‘Why the Windrush matters today’report.

The research aims to shed more light on public attitudes toward race and identity in today’s Britain.

It also examines what people know and feel about the Windrush, and how we should commemorate its 75th anniversary on June 22.

Sunder Katwala, Director of British Future, told The Voice: “I think the Windrush generation is incredibly important in the British history of race.

“I think one thing that perhaps is distinctive about Black British people was that in the past, when their claim to Britishness was questioned or challenged due to discrimination or racism, they doubled down on their claim to British identity.

“Many of the Windrush generation felt they were coming to Britain as British citizens because they had been invited to do so.

“They were surprised to find that their British identity wasn’t really being taught in schools in London or Birmingham for example, as perhaps it was in Jamaica and that was a great disappointment.”

Teaching this history is most important to the Black Caribbean community, among whom 89 percent said it was important.

The polling draws on research conducted by Focaldata, as well as insights gleaned from extensive discussion groups.

Of those questioned 68 percent agree that “The UK has made significant progress on racial equality in the last 25 years”.

When asked about racial discrimination in countries such as the USA, Germany, and France compared to Britain, 80% of those questioned said that Britain was a better place to live for minority communities.

Katwala added: “We’ve come a long way since those days of the 1960s, but, as the report highlights, people feel there’s much more to do on race equality.

“I think younger people rightly want the emphasis on the unfinished business, not on the progress we’ve made.

“If you are a Black or Asian person who was born in Britain in this century you don’t want to hear that things are better than they were for your grandparents. Equal opportunities are your birthright and the lack of progress towards it is unfinished business.”

Concerns about the lack of progress in race equality were highlighted by the Windrush Scandal when it emerged that thousands of British citizens, mostly from the Caribbean, were wrongly detained, deported, or threatened with deportation, despite having the right to live in the UK.

Many lost homes and jobs and were denied access to healthcare and benefits.

Dr Wanda Wyporska, Chief Executive of the Black Equity Organisation, said: “In the 75 years since the arrival of the Empire Windrush, although some things have changed for the better, descendants of those pioneers are still fighting for acceptance and justice.

“The ongoing Windrush scandal highlights just how vulnerable the Windrush generation and their families are to the structural racism hard-wired into many UK institutions.

“Being Black in the UK means being three times more likely to die in childbirth, nine times more likely to be stopped and searched by the police and three times more likely to be detained than White people.

“In education, housing, finance and healthcare the picture is the same. Being Black can mean ambitions are stymied, opportunities denied,  treatments withheld, and citizenship stripped.

“So, although we rightly celebrate the contribution and resilience of the Windrush generation, the British Future report highlights the urgent need for current and future generations to take on the fight of dismantling structural racism once and for all.”

Patrick Vernon, Convenor of the Windrush 75 network, said: “The Windrush is Black history and it is British history, the story of how our society came to look as it does today and why we all have a stake in it.

“It is something that all of our children should learn about at school and something that all of us can celebrate.

“It is also history that we must take care not to lose as the Windrush generation sadly passes away. We should act now to capture and preserve their stories, engaging the next generation so they understand their heritage.”