Windrush Day
Celebrating the Windrush Generation
Windrush Day was launched by the UK government in 2018, as an annual national celebration of the Windrush Generation. The date, 22 June was chosen to mark the 70th anniversary of the SS Empire Windrush arriving at Tilbury Docks – the ship that brought the first Caribbeans from various islands to the UK in 1948. Over the years, they and other Caribbeans who arrived from 1948 to 1971 have become known as the Windrush Generation.
The Windrush Generation and their descendants have celebrated Windrush Day long before 2018 – and now, the 22 June has become an opportunity for the whole of the UK to recognise the ongoing contribution of the Windrush Generation and their descendants to Britain.
Windrush Day was also launched as a response to the Windrush Scandal, which saw members of the Windrush Generation wrongly detained, deported and denied NHS healthcare and state benefits. So, the day is also a reminder and an opportunity to keep fighting for justice and a better future.
It’s important that we look back and celebrate the incredible impact of the Windrush Generation, but part of honouring their legacy is to look forward and celebrate the lives of everyone in the diaspora and the different generations of Windrush descendants. Windrush Day isn’t just about marking a moment in time – it’s also about what’s happening now.