WINDRUSH PIONEER: AN INTERVIEW WITH DAME JOCELYN

Windrush Pioneer:

An Interview with Dame Jocelyn Barrow OBE

by patrick vernon

DameJocelynBarrowhashad alongdistinguishedcareer covering59yearsinBritainwith hertremendousachievements andherlongtermcommitment andpassionforraceand genderequality,educationand promotingtheheritageofthe Caribbeancommunity.

Early Days in the Caribbean

She was born inTrinidad on the 15th of April in1929ofmixedraceheritage,herfatherwas from Barbados (grandparents were Scottish andFrench).DameJocelynwastheeldestout of fourteen siblings with only six still alive. As the matriarch along with her education and training this has shaped her to be feisty, maverickandastutewhicheventuallyheldin good stead as a lifelong campaigner for race equalityandsocialinjustice.DameJocelynwent to St Joseph Covenant School and at the age of sixteen became one of the early members ofthePeopleNationalMovementworkingwith the late Dr EricWilliam who became the first PrimeMinsterofTrinidad.Shecompletedher training as a teacher but was still involved in politicsandsupportingthedevelopmentofthe WestIndianFederationandherpoliticalparty.

Windrush Generation

Afterworkingforseveralyearsshedecided to movetoBritaintocompleteherpostgraduate teaching qualification at the Institute of Education.On the1st ofSeptember1959she moved to London and thus became part of theWindrushGenerationmigrationtoBritain. When theWest Indies Federation was dissolved in 1962 she was disappointed in a similarwaytohercurrentfeelingsaboutBrexit that nations were not working together for the common good.One of her mantra…‘You canachievemoreifweworkcollectively’.Thisis whatDameJocelynbelievedthatBritaindidwith its Empire through colonisation using all the talent and resources of its former colonies for the good of Britain.Thus she found it disappointing that people are not aware of thishistoryandthusfailedtounderstandwhy theWindrush Generation were here along with other parts of the Commonwealth.She talkedingreatdetailedaboutthelevelofracism thatsheandothersexperiencedinthe1950/60s intermsofjobs,housingandthentheemotional andphysicalabuse.AlthoughalotofCaribbean people were educated and skilled they were treated at the bottom of the pile. Whilst she was studying for her postgraduatequalificationinteachingshegot involved in a project called‘Each OneTeach One’inhelpingchildrenofCaribbeanheritage to do their homework and to provide advice to parents on the education system.She said white teachers did not know how to support thelearningofthepupilsandthatparentswere ignorant of the education system as they assumed the teachers had the best interest atheartliketeachersintheCaribbean.However, instead the children were being left behind and also classed as educationally subnormal. AfewyearslaterJocelynwasinvolvedinanother initiativecalledthe‘CaribbeanCommunication Project’whichwasaimedatimprovingliteracy for Caribbean adults based on the national literacy programme called‘OnThe Move’.

Fighting for Race Equality and Against the Colour Bar

meetingwithMartinLutherKinginDecember 1964.He did a stop over to London as he was goingtoNorwaytopickuphisNobelPeacePrize. Kingsharedhisstrategiesandtacticsaround non-violence and holding the government toaccountaroundonracediscriminationunder Jim Crow in America.This meeting inspired Jocelynandotheractiviststoestablishin1965 CampaignagainstRacialDiscrimination(CARD) withthemainfocustoestablishracerelations legislation against the colour bar and racism against African,Caribbean and Asian people in Britain.Dame Jocelyn became a founding memberandGeneralSecretaryandlaterVice Chair of the organisation.She was involved right up to 1970.CARD had a national committee with Anthony Lester,David Pitt, C.L.R.James,Dipak Nandy and Hamza Alavi. Theorganisationalsohadlocalbranchesaround thecountry.DameJocelynreflectsonthehard workandcampaigningparticularlyaroundthe period between 1965 and 1970 in lobbying forthetwoRaceRelationActswithadditional work of helping individuals to exercise their rights for racism discrimination claims. The 1965 Act had no real power as it did notlookatemploymentorhousingwhichwas the biggest areas of discrimination.Thus the organisationworkinginpartnershipwithThe Observernewspaperundertookanemployment surveyonetocapturethelevelofdiscrimination. A follow up survey was done for London Transport which provided further evidence of systematic racism in the labour market. The lobbying and evidence was critical to

influence MPs that the 1968 Act should be more robust. Despiteheractivismshewasstillworking fulltimeinteachingataseniorleveland alsoas a teacher trainer in various roles at Furzedown College and at the Institute of Education London University in the‘60s,she pioneered the introduction of multi-cultural education,stressing the needs of the various ethnic groups in the UK. Inherinterviewshetalkedaboutmanaging open and covert racism and the strategy of self-care which people had to adopt for their mental wellbeing.This often meant at times not going key promotions or roles in public life as you got exposed with hate mail,verbal abuse,rejectionandlackofrespect.Theglass ceiling was always present to you as black personsherecounts.Otherblackwomenhad similar experiences such as Beryl Gilroy who became one of the first HeadTeachers in UK. Dame Jocelyn said:‘maintaining my private life was critical to my self-care.However the more discrimination I faced the more determined and feisty I became’.

Rivers of Blood

Dame Jocelyn was strongly against Enoch Powell’s ‘RiversofBlood’speechin1968which she believes gave the permission to far right organisationslikeNationalFrontandCombat 18 to continued its campaign hate crime and violence against Black and Asian people In Britain.She also believes that Powell was a racist but he did this in sophisticated way. Dame Jocelyn states:‘He did not mind us coming to Britain but only do to low skill jobs only as he did not want to us to be in positions of authority.’

The expression in his speech the“The Blackman having the upper hand of over the whiteman”reflectedhisattitudetowardsBlack people and the use of immigrations control’. Dame Jocelyn recounts an experience with Powell which confirmed his racism and arrogance.She states: I was invited by the late Sir Robin Day the broadcaster for a television magazineTV programmeafterthemainnewsinBirmingham totalkaboutthe1968RaceRelationsBillgoing through Parliament along with an Asian Psychiatrist and Enoch Powell MP.We found outthatPowellrefusedtobeinthesamestudio as us and the BBC arrange for him to be a neighbouringstudiointhesamebuildingsowe wouldnotbeallowedhaveadirectconversation witheventhoughhecouldhearourresponses through the radio mics.This clearly showed him a racist,coward and he knew that he lose any arguments on why he was wrong regarding the Bill and his speech’. WhenDameJocelynbecameGovernorat theBBCshemadesurethattheBBCjournalism policyandpracticewouldnotallowforfuture racial segregation in television interviews in thefuture.Alsosheplayedaroleensuremore Black talent had roles as news reporters, presenters and more opportunities in light entertainment and drama.

A Career in Public Life

Despite all the above challenges she was successful in developing a career in public life with a number of appointments made by ConservativeandLabourgovernmentsbetween 1965 to the 1990s.She was the first black womanGovernoroftheBBCandFounderand Deputy Chair of the Broadcasting Standards Council.Herequalopportunitiesandeducational expertiseisreflectedinhermanyGovernment appointmentstoavarietyoforganisations andstatutory bodies.Governor of the Commonwealth Institute for eight years, Camden Communing Housing,Council Member of Goldsmith’s College,University of London,Vice-president of the United Nations AssociationintheUKandNorthernIrelandand TrusteetotheIreneTaylorTrustprovidingMusic inPrisons.SheisNationalVice-Presidentofthe Townswomen’s Guild and was instrumental in the establishment of the North Atlantic Slavery Gallery and the Maritime Museum in Liverpool.She was aTrustee of the National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside and a Governor of the British Film Institute.In 1972 shewasawardedtheOBEforworkinthefield ofeducationandcommunityrelations.In1992 shereceivedtheDBEforherworkinbroadcasting and her contribution to the work of the European Union as the UK Member of the Social Economic Committee.

Maintaining my private life was critical to my self-care. However the more discrimination I faced the more determined and feisty I became’.

Windrush Scandal

WithregardstotheWindrushScandalshefeels veryangryathowthegovernmenthastreated peopleofCaribbeanheritageandseesthisas another example of racism based on her 59 years of activism in Britain.However,she also feelsthatasacommunityweshouldhavedone morearoundleadershipandmobilisation.She wasawarebackin2014whentheImmigration Act was passed that this could be an issue in the future.She asked a number of key people thattheyneededtohelpthecommunitytosort outtheirpaperworkandeducatethecommunity based on her experience of CARD.She was concerned that organisations that supported or represented the Caribbean community includingtheHighCommissionersshouldhave donemorearoundlobbyingandcampaigning prior to the scandal compared to fallout now that we are dealing with like deportations and no financial support to the victims. Dame Jocelyn stated‘if I was still active I wouldbeputtingpressureonthegovernment to speed up the compensation payments and get people to do a sit in various governments departments and offices demanding where is our cheque?’ She believes thatTheresa May was ill advised but her officials and political advisers werekeentodevelopandimplementthehostile immigrationenvironmentwhichsheprobably now regrets.Sajid Javid is probably doing a better job as Home Secretary but he has no interest in support and protecting the Black communityespeciallywiththecompensation scheme and not giving citizenship to the Windrush Generation who have a criminal record or‘poor character’.

Top Tips for Leadership and Activism

DameJocelynbelievestheWindrushGeneration could have done more especially around economicandbusinessdevelopmentasalegacy comparedtotheirpeersfromotherpartsofthe Commonwealth who probably have more respectfromthegovernmentbecauseofwealth and economic influence.However she is very optimistic of third and fourth generation of youngpeopleofAfricanandCaribbeanheritage in Britain who are now learning some of the lessonsoftheWindrushGenerationtobecome more business focus and self reliant.Her instincts as a teacher and educator are still present and strong and in our interview as she shared the following tips around activism and leadership for young people: • Stick to your brief and agenda on area of expertiseWrite this down so you reflect this on a regular basis • Learn from your mistakes and others as this will empower you • Have a conviction and strong belief in whatever you do as there will be times you need to stand alone • Be wary of gifts and or opportunities you aregivenasmakeyouobligatedorcomprise your agenda • Find a couple of people that you can trust who can give your advice and help you out when required.

Although Dame Jocelyn Barrow has mobility problems her mind is still active and she will be celebrating her 90th birthday on the 15th of April in 2019.She is still happy to share her experience and wealth of knowledge to the next generation of activist and leaders.I am looking forward to reading her memoirs as a champion of theWindrush Generation and to support engage more with young people.