Meeting Windrush

People’s Heritage Co-operative are delighted to be working with Shades of Black and all the Windrush 75 projects across Birmingham to mark and explore the importance of ‘The Windrush Generation’ in ‘Meeting Windrush’.

We will be supporting Friction Arts ‘Leaning into the Wind’ project launch at The Library of Birmingham, including a short presentation, Q & A by Mrs Eunice McGhie-Belgrave MBE about ‘ The Windrush Generation’, on the 75th anniversary of the day HMT Empire Windrush doors were opened at Tilbury Docks near London. It quickly became a symbolic moment in the arrival of a generation of Commonwealth citizens who had been invited to live and work in Post-war Britain.

Eunice was born in Jamaica, in 1934. She emigrated to England from Jamaica with her family as a young woman and has lived in Birmingham since then. Following the ‘Handsworth Riots’ in 1985, Eunice and four other local women founded a charitable community organisation called ‘Shades of Black’, with the intention to ‘reconcile, reassure and rebuild the community’.

‘Leaning into the Wind’ is one of many exciting Windrush projects across Birmingham – we’ll post our more soon as we intend to bring together and share our collective experience and add to the resources at Birmingham Archives and Heritage. It will be freely accessible to all and a legacy and remembrance both of the Windrush Generation and their continuing importance.

Mrs. McGhie-Belgrave MBE will also lead a workshop and Q & A session at Handsworth Library on Saturday 24th June 10am to 12pm, and we will run workshops in Stechford Primary Schools as a Part of this project.

Photograph thanks Vanley Burke