£2.50 | JUNE, 2023 • ISSUE NO. 1943
Windrush
75
1948 - 2023 souvenir edition
the national windrush monument Waterloo Station, London
JUNE 2023
Celebrating The Journey Continues
Today we reflect on those who waved goodbye to familiar shores, seeking new horizons. Windrush pioneers began a legacy; now carried on by their descendants who continue to make contributions that build the United Kingdom and uplift the country of their heritage.
Photo of Windrush Monument courtesy of Blackink
THE VOICE| 23
Inside
THIS MONTH
The Voice says
Our nurses saved NHS The story of Caribbean healthcare workers p8
Leaders pay tribute Sunak and Starmer honour pioneers p14-15
Church is the rock How the Black church anchored community in faith p24-25
Not just London! Focus on Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield and Midlands p52-57
Jamaica and all that jazz Gary Crosby in tune with 75th anniversary p75
Saluting achievements Geoff Thompson on the resilience of athletes p86 This issue is 88 pages EDITOR Lester Holloway E. lester.holloway@thevoice mediagroup.co.uk
CORPORATE AFFAIRS & COMMUNICATIONS Paula Dyke E. paula@thevoice mediagroup.co.uk
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Paulette Simpson E. paulette.simpson@thevoice mediagroup.co.uk
NEWS EDITOR Vic Motune E. vic.motune@thevoice mediagroup.co.uk
We owe the Windrush Generation
BRITAIN owes the Windrush Generation so much for everything they have endured over the past 75 years. They are due thanks and appreciation for the way they enriched Britain culturally and economically. They are owed acknowledgment for the way they overcame barriers and hostility. And Britain should reflect on how far we have come, and how far we have yet to go, in removing the barriers that those pioneers, and their descendants, experience. So on this 75th anniversary, it is an opportunity not just to say thank you, but to learn from their experiences. Their faith brought them through adversity and paved the way for generations to follow. Their pride in Caribbean culture was passed on to today’s Black community, and continues to enrich this nation in every conceivable way. We can only imagine how much greater their impact would have been if the playing field was equal.
Younger generations can still learn so much by finding out more about their experiences, and reflecting on how that should guide us in making society more equitable in the future. It is important that our stories are not forgotten. On the contrary, we are a key part of British history, as well as the present and future. We owe it to them to campaign for justice for victims of the Windrush scandal by making the compensation scheme fully independent of the government. And we can gain much by listening to their stories which have remained untold for decades. This special souvenir edition brings some of those stories, and we look forward to covering even more online in the run up to Windrush Day on June 22. This is a landmark year, let us strive to set the record straight, to tell the history of the Windrush generation so that it is common knowledge for the whole of society.
Got a story? email us at yourviews@thevoicemediagroup.co.uk ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Joel Campbell E. joel.campbell@thevoice mediagroup.co.uk SPORTS EDITOR Rodney Hinds E. rodney.hinds@thevoice mediagroup.co.uk
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