Islington celebrates Windrush Day on Wednesday, 22 June with a wealth of events including music, performance, stories, Caribbean refreshments and chances to share memories and experiences.
Windrush Day this year marks the 74th anniversary of the Windrush migration. It honours the exceptional contribution of the Windrush generation, their families and descendants, and remembers the arrival of the MV Empire Windrush at the Port of Tilbury, near London, on 22 June 1948.
On Wednesday, 22 June the Windrush Day flag – reading ‘Windrush generations – we are standing on their shoulders’ – will be raised above Islington Town Hall.
Television presenter, Jay Blades MBE, will join local MP Emily Thornberry and other community leaders for an event at Brickworks Community Centre at 12-2pm on Wednesday, 22 June. Residents are encouraged to book a free ticket for an afternoon of speeches, Caribbean food, music, performances and stories from Islington elders who arrived in the UK during the Windrush Era.
Age UK Islington are also organising a celebration on Windrush Day in Caledonian Park. At 11am, they will host a special Windrush edition of their weekly reminiscence sessions at Cally Clock Tower Centre, to which residents can bring photos and memorabilia to share memories and experiences with other attendees. At 12-2pm, the event will move outside for Caribbean refreshments (with food and soft drinks provided). To book for these events, residents can contact Age UK Islington on 020 7281 6018 or [email protected]
The event in Caledonian Park is part of a project funded with a grant of almost £15,000, following a successful bid by Islington Council to the Government’s 2022 Windrush Day Grant Scheme.
Islington Libraries have made titles from Caribbean book list ‘The 100 Caribbean books that made us’ available to loan. The list was put together by The Bocas Lit Fest, a literary arts development organisation based in Trinidad and Tobago. Libraries will also host reading sessions for under-fives to explore Windrush story Coming to England by Floella Benjamin and there will be a small display at Central Library celebrating acclaimed Islington writer Andrea Levy, who was born in London to Jamaican parents.
Cllr Roulin Khondoker, Executive Member for Equalities, Culture and Inclusion, said: “Windrush Day is a really significant date in Islington. The contribution of the Windrush generation, as well as their children and descendants, to life in the borough has been huge. They are so valued as part of our community.
“We want all of our communities to feel connected and included, so I encourage everyone to use Windrush Day as an opportunity to celebrate, share and learn about this important part of our history and reflect on the ways that our culture has been enriched by the Windrush generation.”
