Today, Monday 22 June, marks the second-ever Windrush Day, a day which commemorates the Windrush Generation and their legacy.
Today is a fairly new celebration, having only started in 2018.
So what’s the story behind today and how can you celebrate it?
What is Windrush Day and what is happening for it?
Today aims to celebrate the Caribbean community and their contributions to British society.
But it’s also a chance to show solidarity and support for the hardships many have had to suffer since coming to the country.
The day started in 2018 and falls on the anniversary of the Empire Windrush arriving at Tilbury Docks in 1948, bringing with it several hundreds of passengers.
The first generation of workers came to the UK by invitation to help rebuild Britain after World War II but many were met with hostility and intolerance when they arrived.
In the years and decades that followed, many found themselves denied rights, lost their jobs and in some cases were even deported back to places they barely knew.
The day is being celebrated with a variety of community events across the country – many of which have had to go online, as a result of the ongoing lockdown.
Lambeth Council in London has asked residents to decorate their doorsteps and windows to show their gratitude and respect.
Their website states: ‘We want to make Windrush Day 2020 an extraordinary collective event for the community despite the restrictions of lockdown and social distancing.
‘Show your gratitude and respect to the people of Windrush by decorating your windows and doorsteps.’
Residents are also invited to sing Desmond Dekker’s song ‘You can get it if you really want’ on their doorsteps at 10:27 am, a time chosen to mark the 1,027 passengers on board the Windrush when it docked in 1948.
Others can follow the campaign on social media today.
What is the Windrush Compensation Scheme?
The Windrush Compensation Scheme was set up in 2019 as a result of the Windrush scandal, promising to compensate affected members of the Windrush generation for the impact it had on their lives.
However, less than 5% of people making claims under the scheme have been paid, official figures show.
The Home Office said it has paid £362,996 to 60 people, including one payment of more than £100,000, during the scheme’s first year.
The compensation fund has an estimated budget of at least £200 million, with the Home Office adding that it has also made offers of approximately £280,000 which have yet to be accepted.
What was the Windrush scandal?
The Windrush scandal is a 2018 political scandal concerning people who were wrongly detained, denied legal rights, threatened with deportation, and, in at least 83 cases wrongly deported from the UK by the Home Office.
In addition to this, many were denied benefits or medical care they were entitled to, and in some cases refused re-entry to the country.
In 2018 the Home Office admitted they had wrongfully detained at least 850 people between 2012 and 2017.
The issue arose because many of the Windrush generation arrived as children on their parents’ passports and therefore lacked the documentation to prove their right to remain in the UK even though many have spent their whole lives here.
In 2010 the Home Office destroyed thousands of landing cards and other records, making the pursuit of finding legal documents impossible for many, who had no other record of their arrival in the country.
Falsely deemed as illegal or undocumented, many lost their access to their legal rights and benefits.
In 2018, then-Home Secretary Sajid Javid said the Home Office would commission a Windrush Lessons Learned Review.
The official Windrush Lessons Learned Review later concluded victims were let down by ‘systemic operational failings’ at the Home Office.
It found ‘institutional ignorance and thoughtlessness towards the issue of race’ at the government department – but was ‘unable to make a definitive finding of institutional racism’.
Current Home Secretary Priti Patel said there was an ‘ongoing mission’ to put this right, adding that ‘lives were ruined and families were torn apart’ and that was ‘simply unacceptable’.
MORE: Government accused of ‘chronic leadership failure’ over Windrush compensation
MORE: Less than one in 20 Windrush claimants have been paid so far
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