Celebrating Windrush
Windrush Day is on 22 June
by Claire Law
Suitable for Key Stage 3
Aims
To explore the contributions of the Windrush generation, and the challenges that they faced.
Preparation and materials
- You will need the PowerPoint slides that accompany this assembly (Celebrating Windrush) and the means to display them.
- Have available the song ‘London is the place for me’ by Lord Kitchener and the means to play it during the assembly. It is 2.43 minutes long and is available at: https://youtu.be/dGt21q1AjuI
- Have available the BBC Newsround video ‘What is the Windrush generation?’ and the means to show it during the assembly. It is 1.53 minutes long and is available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/43793769
Assembly
- Show Slide 1.
Welcome everyone to the assembly. - Tell the students that you are going to play them a piece of music and you would like them to see if they recognize it.
Play the song ‘London is the place for me’ by Lord Kitchener (2.43 minutes long).
Note: students may recognize the music from the film Paddington. - Show Slide 2.
Here, you can see the ship HMT Empire Windrush, which arrived in London in June 1948. The ship had travelled from Jamaica, carrying 1,027 passengers and two stowaways. One of the passengers was the singer we have just heard, a man called Aldwyn Roberts, better known by his stage name of Lord Kitchener. - Show Slide 3.
Lord Kitchener was an accomplished calypso musician from Trinidad. When he stepped off the Empire Windrush, a local news crew were filming the event and asked him to sing. Lord Kitchener began to sing the song that we’ve just heard: ‘London is the place for me’.
Many of the people on the Empire Windrush settled in and around London, bringing and sharing their musical heritage. As a result, the UK music scene has been enriched by diverse genres of music that draw upon Caribbean musical influences, including ska, reggae, dancehall and drum-and-bass. - On 22 June, the UK celebrates Windrush Day, to commemorate the day when the Empire Windrush arrived at Tilbury Docks near London in 1948.
But why are this ship and its passengers so important to UK history? Let’s watch this short video to find out more.
Show the BBC Newsround video ‘What is the Windrush generation?’ (1.53 minutes long). - In the late 1940s, the UK economy was suffering from the effects of the Second World War, and there was a shortage of workers in key industries. This prospect of employment attracted many of the passengers on the Empire Windrush to leave the Caribbean.
After the ship’s passengers disembarked in 1948, similar voyages were made over the following years until 1971. Collectively, these travellers are known as the Windrush generation. - When they arrived in the UK, many of them faced hostility and racism. Despite this, many found work in hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare facilities, playing a crucial role in the development of the NHS. They contributed their skills, dedication and expertise to shape healthcare in the UK.
They also had a significant social and cultural impact on British society, enriching the cultural landscape of the UK. From food and music to fashion, literature, language and cricket, Caribbean influences have become ingrained in British popular culture, fostering a sense of diversity and multiculturalism.
Time for reflection
Thinking about and talking about racism can be uncomfortable, but it’s important that we do so. The Windrush generation and their descendants faced, and still face, racism in this country. This is unacceptable. It’s illegal to treat people differently because of their race or culture. We should celebrate our diversity as humans, offer respect to each other and keep talking about how we can improve things.
Valuing one another and treating each other with dignity and fairness are central ideas for Christians, and within many world religions.
Show Slide 4.
The Golden Rule is an essential teaching in many world religions: it encourages us to offer kindness, dignity and respect to others.
Jesus expressed this idea when he said, ‘Do to others what you would have them do to you,’ and ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ (Both of these quotations are found in Matthew’s Gospel.)
Ask the students, ‘How do we respond to people who are different from ourselves?’ These differences might relate to religion, racial heritage, politics, music and more.
Ask the students, ‘How can we avoid sliding into hostility?’
Pause to allow time for thought.
Encourage the students to take some time to consider in silence some questions on this theme.
- How can we offer respect?
Pause to allow time for thought.
- Can we adopt an attitude whereby we treat others with dignity and fairness?
Pause to allow time for thought.
- How can we commit to living according to the Golden Rule and treating others as we want to be treated?
Pause to allow time for thought.
Prayer
Dear Lord,
This June, we take time to recall the significance of the Empire Windrush arriving on our shores.
We think of the Windrush generation, who have contributed so much to the UK, despite facing hostility and racism.
We ask you, Lord, to help us to be alert to issues that lead to hatred and division.
Help us to celebrate difference and diversity.
We pray for a willingness to see and value all people.
Please help us to treat others as we would like to be treated: with dignity and respect.
Amen.
Song/music
‘London is the place for me’ by Lord Kitchener, available at: https://youtu.be/dGt21q1AjuI (2.43 minutes long)
