THE BARREL

The Barrel in the corner of a room stuffed with brand new treasures were a familiar sight in virtually every Windrush* household. It was usually the women who attended to it. Often filled with cloths for making dresses, shoes, shirts, decorative objects and of course baby clothes and toys for those who had left their children behind. One didn’t think of the significance of those barrels or even the lives of those for whom these great “goodies” were destined. There was a quiet consolation and resignation for those who were sending goods for their families and elderly parents. The children they had left behind were well provided for from afar - or so one imagined. The reality though was somewhat different. Whilst many enjoyed blissful lives back “home” others were mistreated. Some were left as young infants and never knew their parents until a day arrived when they were sent for. Travelling thousands of miles they would arrive from a very sunny green place to a damp dark country where outdoor life was not an option. Worse still, they found themselves with families (their parents) whom they did not know, often in a confined space. For many this was a very sorrowful and traumatic predicament both for the parents and children. Today as adults, many still prefer not to remember or discuss that painful episode of their lives whilst others are settled and lead happy and fulfilled lives.

See The BCA (Black Cultural Archives) Exhibition “Over A Barrel” which runs from 22nd June to September 2023. visit: https://www.childhoodexplorer.org/exploring-the-barrelchildren-cycle-parentchild-separation-due-to-migration Or https:// www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium/long-reads/barrelchildren-windrush-black-families-b1958518.html.

*This term is used broadly to reflect the multitudes who came to Britain from the Caribbean during the period 1948 - 1971.

5th July 2023 marks 75 years of the National Health Service. Coinciding with Windrush 75 the NHS will have a series of events including a service at Westminster Abbey to commemorate this landmark year. See website for further details: https://www.england.nhs.uk/nhsbirthday/ celebrating-75-years-of-windrush/

With her refreshing approach to journalism there’s no one who can tell a story as Nadine White. This young British journalist, humble and unassuming with pervading characteristics reminiscent of “old Jamaica,” just seems to belt out truth and well-researched facts. It was not surprising that she was snapped up by The Independent as their first race correspondent in 2021 for their eponymous Race Report publication. At just 30 she has won several awards, not least for her scathing exposé of the sinister activities in certain churches. Her well-researched articles cover a range of topics and issues from institutional inequalities to policing attitudes. She has given a voice to the silent woes and afflictions of Black minorities with a national reach to a very wide audience.

Most of the men, a mixture of ex-servicemen and civilians who came on the HMT Windrush came without their wives. Many were single and after settling in Britain sent “home” for former girlfriends or a wife, sometimes women they had never met before. Most of these marriages stood the test of time and divorces were few and far between.

Sunrise Bakery based in Birmingham has been supplying hardough bread, buns and cakes to the West Indian community for almost 60 years. From humble beginnings in Smethwick Birmingham and in-person deliveries, within one generation they grew into a successful national enterprise. Founded by the late Herman Drummond and William Lamont in 1966, today it is run on an industrial scale by his son Errol Drummond and grandson Daniel. Errol has also been a stalwart figure in the community over the decades and is currently Vice Chair of Jamaican Heritage UK. He has supported a variety of charities; was on the

Scrutiny Panel for a local prison ensuring prisoner complaints were properly dealt with. For the recent Commonwealth Games he was part of the Diversity and Inclusion Team facilitating the representation of all the various ethnic groups that make up the cultural bedrock of the city of Birmingham.

Many former slave/plantation holders, ship owners, private quay investors and financiers in Britain had already received compensation on account of the The West India Dock Act of 1799 whereby ships involved in the West India trade were compelled to use the new facilities which were opened in 1802. The government awarded large compensatory sums for those who were affected by the Act. This predicated the lobbying for compensation when slavery was finally abolished in 1833 and set a precedence for a legal argument which lobbyists used in the years leading up to the Abolition of Slavery. As we know, they were successful and slave-owners were compensated handsomely. Today there is much discussion on reparations and how to compensate the descendants of those slaves whose humanity, at that time, was not correctly acknowledged. In Britain these are The Windrush Generation.

Samuel Adedeje has perfect hearing but was raised by deaf parents. Recognising the vital need for the non-hearing community, he studied ‘signing’ and now works as an official sign language interpreter. It is estimated that 151,000 people in Britain use sign language (not all are deaf) and approximately 20% of the deaf population are from ethnic minority backgrounds.

If you wish to know more about sign language within the community or need an interpreter contact the Interpreters of Colour Network (IOCN) at https:// interpretersofcolour.net/ Figures source IOCN.