Windrush 75 – how can we teach this valuable topic?

It is 75 years since the ship called the Empire Windrush brought people from the Caribbean to begin a new life in the United Kingdom. Those who also arrived in the years leading up to 1971 are often referred to as ‘the Windrush generation’. Their contribution to Britain socially, culturally and economically is being increasingly celebrated. This article suggests some resources and teaching ideas for a focus on this significant anniversary.

Windrush 75 marks the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush, which arrived at Tilbury docks, Essex on 22 June 1948. The ship was named after the Windrush river (a tributary of the Thames which flows through the Cotswolds). It brought people from Jamaica and other islands of the Caribbean to the UK. The British Nationality Act of 1948 gave citizenship and right of settlement to those who were a British subject by virtue of having been born in a British colony. Britain faced serious labour shortages after World War II and the British government encouraged migration from people in the Caribbean...