Wanda Wyporska Thank you, pioneers

from The Voice Newspaper June Edition 2023

‘Extraordinary resilience’

WINDRUSH. A word that evokes many emotions.

Pride, sorrow, anger, joy, frustration and grief to name but a few. But 75 years on, more than anything one word stands out: thank you.

Those who disembarked from the Windrush were met with a mixture of reactions and faced racism, hardship and discrimination. They worked hard and contributed to the UK’s economy and culture in a way that far outstripped their numbers.

They encountered refusal after refusal, and were denied access to business loans and mortgages, and to jobs that matched their skills and expe-

Dr Wanda Wyporska reflects on the Windrush heroes’ hard work

rience. Undaunted, they built community credit unions, saved together and supported each other to fund funerals and houses, as well as supporting families back home.

They came because the Motherland called them, and they came as citizens of the UK.

As we at the Black Equity Organisation celebrate the courage, struggle and joy of our Windrush generations, it is personal for so many of us.

My father, his brother and twin sister, came over from Barbados in the late 1960s and worked as psychiatric nurses in the NHS.

And all of us, as children of the different groups of our Caribbean and African elders, who came over in and after 1948, have seen the sacrifices they made, not just in terms of the harsh realities of UK society, but also in what they left behind. Family, culture, music, food and customs which they were hard pressed to find in the

UK, especially beyond the metropolis of London.

They weathered the hardships, recreated communities and had a strong respect for education, setting up and supporting supplementary schools and classes.

We, their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, owe them a debt that can never be repaid, and we stand with them in their fight for justice and compensation.

That is also why we all felt so strongly about supporting the work done to highlight and rectify the Windrush scandal by so many, including victims and survivors, and the redoubtable campaigner, Patrick Vernon.

It was an honour to stand alongside Windrush scandal survivors and victims as we handed in a petition to Downing Street demanding that the Williams Review recommendations are implemented in full.

Black Equity Organisation is determined to see justice done for our Windrush generations, and to support and work with survivors and organisations, where you feel that we can help.

We are proud to be part of the Windrush 75 family of organisations paying tribute to those who came before us and celebrating our heritage, cultures and presence.

As I walk past the commemorative statue at Waterloo, I always raise a half smile. Proud to see it, but mindful that there is so much more to be done.

We still have a struggle to get justice, recognition and compensation, and we stand beside and with our communities in their fight for it. But ultimately, we take this moment to say thank you.