Friends and family of the Windrush generation gathered in Cardiff Bay this week to mark 75 years since the Empire Windrush docked in London. Thursday, June 22 marked 75 years since the ship carried 1,027 passengers, known as the Windrush generation, from Jamaica and the Commonwealth to the UK to help with labour shortages after World War II.
In 2018 many members of the Windrush generation were wrongly deported after the government failed to properly record the information of those who were granted permission to stay in the UK.
To honour the Windrush elders and Commonwealth nationals on the 75th anniversary, Race Council Cymru and Windrush Cymru Elders held an event at the Senedd building in Cardiff on Thursday where speakers shared their experiences and politicians shared their hopes for the future whilst commemorating the past . The celebrations started with a march to the Senedd where colourful flags were waved as people walked the streets of Cardiff Bay.
Read more: Prince William hails Windrush generation as he meets one of first arrivals 75 years ago
The Windrush Cymru Elders is a group of 50+ elders who meet in Cardiff each week, promoting understanding of ethnic minority elders' concerns and needs whilst celebrating key milestones and marking the contributions of people of African descent. The group was established by Roma Taylor in 2017.
Roma, 79, arrived in Cardiff in 1959 from her homeland of Antigua aged 15 and was a member of the British army for 25 years. Roma is a valued member of the Windrush Generation in Cardiff and spoke at the event as well as singing. She started with an emotional melody "I can't even walk without you holding my hand" and followed it with a poem.
Professor Uzo Iwobi CBE FLSW, Founder and Chief Executive of RCC, presented the event alongside RCC member Natalie Jones. Amongst the speakers was the leading founder member of Black History Month in Wales, Cliff DePass, who gave thanks to the Windrush Elders:
"I wish to acknowledge and pay tribute to our esteemed elders, those that are here today and to our elders wherever you are. Today is a special day to honour and glorify our elders special achievements," he said.
Lord-Lieutenant of South Glamorgan Morfudd Meredith honoured Black History Wales Cardiff (BHWC) with the Queens Award for Voluntary Service in 2021. "It is especially wonderful to see elders here," she said. "They were people invited to this country to help rebuild Britain after the war. They were a pioneering brave generation who showed great determination and resilience and who conducted themselves with dignity. Thank you all for working so hard and continuing to promote diversity, inclusion and equality in our society today."
Welsh Minister for Economy Vaughan Gething also appeared at the celebrations and presented a speech. "I'm not here because I am the first person to want to do this or the first person who is capable of doing this," he said. "I'm here because of all the things that have come before, all of the challenges and all of the difficulty that meant that other people didn't get here but all of the progress that other people made. And that's why it is important to look back and to remember because the Windrush, the ship itself, was a symbol, a symbol of the change that has taken place.
Eric Ngalle Charles, Cameroonian poet and human rights activist based in Wales, who has won awards for his poetry on migration, captivated the crowd with a song and poem he wrote named 'Grandpa and Grandma's snuffboxes.' Pointing to the elders in the crowd, he said: "It is because of you that we stand here, you have paved a path for us. May whoever hear us, hear you."
Many other speakers took part in the event including Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip Jane Hutt, Antony Metcalfe from the The Royal British Legion, Commissioner Joyce Watson, spokesperson for Windrush Elders, Barbara Collette and more.
At the event in Cardiff, a preview of a 90-minute production funded by the Welsh Government was also shown. The film 'Windrush Cymru @75' showcases the stories of 30 people that honours the Windrush legacy.
