Make A Change This Black History Month

During Black History Month (BHM) our charity would like to reclaim narratives regarding the arrival of Afro-Caribbean migrants to the UK. Over the next four weeks Youmanity will share some extraordinary photos taken by celebrated photographer, Howard Grey, in 1962. They are images that help give a stronger voice to a community marginalised by white Britain because of its ethnicity. BHM is therefore a time to also reflect on the wrongdoings committed against fellow human beings.

White Privilege 

The term ‘white privilege’ is a card often raised to fight inequality. People’s "whiteness" acting as a silent substitute for class. Most white people don't quite understand what ‘white privilege actually means. They tend to take it as only meaning that white people have better opportunities etc. Truth of the matter is that when a white person looks in the mirror they don't think about the colour of their skin at all - it is simply not an issue .However, for most of Black people - especially from the older generation  - their blackness can be a huge issue. In a broader sense, white privilege means that white people simply take their appearance for granted, whereas black people are acutely aware of it. And it does not help the fact that a black person is more likely to be stopped and searched by a supermarket security staff than a white customer. Stereotyping as to what ‘offenders’ look like can have detrimental effects on people whose only fault is to have the appearance of Afro-Caribbean heritage. Research shows that Black youths are harassed by police because of their ethnicity. This is something to be concerned about as we could be part of a social system that gives some people an advantage over others. BHM should be a time to reflect on the importance of social equality as a long-term investment, benefiting each and everyone of us.

Black people have  endured decades of significant social inequality. Their lives have been affected for generations, which is why as fellow human beings we should all play a role in challenging all aspects of inequity throughout the year. 

Here is how you can make a change this Black History Month:

We often surround ourselves by people who look like us, talk like us and have the same interests as us. Now, wouldn’t be great if once in while we interacted with people from a different culture? BHM offers an important window into a culture that has made enormous sacrifices in order to contribute to the UK economy. Let us remember that it is people’s stories that shape our understanding of history, culture, and identity. To this end, there are many different and exciting events taking place everywhere in the country. Again, each event offers a window into different aspects of Black culture. Be willing to explore different perspectives on race and diversity. Whichever event(s) you wish to attend, make sure that you ‘Dig deeper, look closer, think bigger’! 

For more information on events happening in London click HERE 

Youmanity too is contributing to this year’s BHM by sharing a collection of remarkable photographs taken in 1962. Photographer, Howard Grey, was at London’s Waterloo Station to witness the arrival of the last of West Indian migrants just before the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962 came into force. The Act introduced stringent restrictions on the entry of Commonwealth citizens into the United Kingdom. Only those with work permits were permitted entry. For many Commonwealth people this Act felt like a kick in the teeth, considering how Britain had exploited the riches of the colonies, but now forbade its subject to come to the Motherland. 

It is worth noting how the British Government had relied on the colonies to rebuild the country after WW2. Government officials went island hopping to recruit a Caribbean workforce on behalf of different companies, for example LONDON TRANSPORT.  Between 1948 and 1971 HMS Empire Windrush docked at Tilbury bringing hundreds of  immigrants  from Jamaica and Trinidad who came to fill shortages in the labour market. Known as ‘the Windrush generation’, these brave men and women played a significant role in shaping modern British society and culture.

Some of the passengers that came to England on the Windrush were of South Asian heritage. With the abolition of slavery in 1807, English land owners in the Caribbeans looked for cheap labourers in India to work on their sugar plantations. Appointed recruiters travelled to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar regions to convince thousands of Indians that a new life in the Caribbean islands would allow them to escape caste restrictions in India. Reality was that the Indian workforce was to replace slaves on slavery’s stale estates, complete with all its colonial cruelties. Unable to read, many were tricked into signing up for ‘indentured servitude’ - i.e. contracted to work without salary for a number of UNSPECIFIED years. Additionally, the labourer had to pay back the cost of the passage from India to the Caribbean island, and other ‘expenses’. Invariably, this was a fortune the labourer would never be able to pay back. They would never see their families in India ever again.  

The historical photos taken by Howard Grey tell a story of hope and love for the Motherland, England. Immigrants alighting from the train at Waterloo look beautifully turned out. They show how up until then these immigrants had looked up to England as the country embodying the impressive royal history they had studied in school (Britain imposed its own educational system on the colonies). And now, wearing their Sunday best, Her Majesty’s black subjects had come to live firsthand the fairytale lifestyle described in books. Howard Greys’ photographic skills capture the expressions of delight on the faces of these new arrivals who made the 22-day journey to England. Some men went to the trouble of buying a tuxedo. They changed into the attire before the train pulled up in Waterloo thinking they would be met by the Queen! Some of Grey’s photos also show the excitement of immigrants being met at the station by relatives and friends who had migrated to the UK in previous years. There is a photograph showing a group of women looking tired. They are sitting on a bench as if waiting for a relative that never comes.

Sadly, the immigrants’ enthusiasm for a fairytale lifestyle in the Motherland soon evaporated. Foreigners were blamed for unemployment and the growing running costs of the NHS. The National Front's ‘Keep Britain White’ campaign demonised non-white people. The Notting Hill riots (1976) and the Brixton riots (1981) are only some of Britain’s racial unrests when black Londoners rebelled against systemic racism. And just when we thought Britain had become a civilised place, in 2018 Theresa May’s government wrongly deported 83 Caribbean people. Many of them were old British subjects from the "Windrush generation”. Apart from those who were deported, other Brits of Caribbean heritage were detained, lost their jobs, lost their homes. Some had their passports confiscated, were denied benefits or medical care to which they were entitled.

Looking at Howard Grey’s 1962 photographs it is hard to reconcile the smiles, the enthusiasm, the hustle and bustle at Waterloo station with immigrants’ dreams shuttered by a society eager to pin the blame for bad governance onto them. To this day politicians use immigration as distraction topics.

There is no room for social inequality. No-one has a birth-right to anything. We should all be able to live our lives in harmony within a harmonious society. 

In wishing our followers a great Black History Month, we very much hope you will enjoy the humanity conveyed by Howard Greys’ 1962 images. We thank Howard Grey for sharing online his important historical archives.