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The Iris Malcolm Library opened on October 8, 2022 as the first and only African centered library in York Region. Thanks to everyone in our community who have invested in bringing this incredible resource to the Newmarket and York Region community. The purpose of the library is to:
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Black History Month: NACCA Selections
The treatment of the Windrush generation is part of the UK’s long history of racial injustice, The Windrush Generation describes the people who emigrated from the Caribbean to Britain between 1945, the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush on 22 June 1948 and the Immigration Act 1971. It also highlights the targeting of these people and their descendants as illegal immigrants, some of whom were unceremoniously deported. Many of whom, by that time, were seniors. They were forced to leave without the ability to transfer any wealth they had accumulated, and to leave their British born descendants. This was a consequence of subsequent immigration laws that did not take into account the unique recruitment by the UK in its time of need. Due to errors in subsequent immigration laws, it was discovered that the official paperwork was not maintained. The rationale was that they were considered to be British Nationals by virtue of the fact that they were from the British Caribbean.
British Caribbean peoples heeded the call of the "mother country" to come to England and help them rebuild after the second world war. The UK suffered a dangerous labour shortage after the war, and British Caribbean peoples were encouraged to support their mother country and help rebuild. The British Caribbean countries thought it their duty, and the peoples took advantage of this call because it allowed them to become British nationals and provide economic wealth to support their families. A mass migration ensued. An estimated half a million people made their way to England after the Second World War.
The phrase "the Barrel Children" described the children of those parents who went to England and were raised by family members while their parents sent economic support through barrels of food and goods. Many of the children had no connection with their parents and related to them only by the economic support they provided. When they eventually rejoined their parents in England there was a disconnect of the parental and child relationship.
Windrush Day is celebrated in the United Kingdom every year on June 22. The day marks the arrival of Afro-Caribbean immigrants to the shores of Britain and honors the British Caribbean community.
British Caribbean peoples heeded the call of the "mother country" to come to England and help them rebuild after the second world war. The UK suffered a dangerous labour shortage after the war, and British Caribbean peoples were encouraged to support their mother country and help rebuild. The British Caribbean countries thought it their duty, and the peoples took advantage of this call because it allowed them to become British nationals and provide economic wealth to support their families. A mass migration ensued. An estimated half a million people made their way to England after the Second World War.
The phrase "the Barrel Children" described the children of those parents who went to England and were raised by family members while their parents sent economic support through barrels of food and goods. Many of the children had no connection with their parents and related to them only by the economic support they provided. When they eventually rejoined their parents in England there was a disconnect of the parental and child relationship.
Windrush Day is celebrated in the United Kingdom every year on June 22. The day marks the arrival of Afro-Caribbean immigrants to the shores of Britain and honors the British Caribbean community.
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Mother Country: Real Stories of the Windrush Children
Edited by: Charlie Brinkhurst Cuff This book explores the reality of the experiences of the Windrush generation and their descendants through 22 unique real life stories spanning more than 70 years.. The uniqueness of this book is that it captures the stories of some of the successful descendants from their many walks of life, such as iconic comedians, politicians and other noteworthy Black Britons. Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff is an award-winning writer, editor and columnist of Jamaican-Cuban heritage, who focuses on issues surrounding race, feminism, social justice and media. She is the deputy editor of gal-dem, a magazine written and produced exclusively by women of colour and non-binary people of colour aiming to diversify the journalism landscape, and contributes to publications including the Guardian, iPaper and Dazed. |
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Windrush: The Irresistible Rise of Multiracial Britain
Authors: Mike Phillips and Trevor Phillips The Windrush era is an important description of the mass migration of people form the Caribbean and their hopes and dreams of finding success in a country that they saw as their " mother country". This book describes the dichotomy of Black Britishness and the historical retelling of finding their rightful place in a country that promised much but was fraught with difficulties. This book moves through the crucial events of British social history in the second half of the twentieth century: the great riots of the late fifties and early sixties, the hysteria of Powellism, the remodelling of England’s inner cities and the current passionate debates about the meaning of Englishness. Concluding with a portrait of multi-racial Britain in the present day, Windrush is a celebration of the Black British and of the new heritage Britain will carry forward into the twenty-first century. Broadcaster Trevor Phillips and his novelist brother Mike retell the very human story of Britain’s first West Indian immigrants and their descendants from the first wave of immigration in 1948 to the present day. |
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Caribbean Folk Tales: Stories from the Islands and the Windrush Generation
Author: Wendy Shearer Storytelling is inherent to Afro-Caribbean culture and is part of how African descendant people survived the inhumanity of enslavement and subsequent hardship of postcolonial life. This is a riveting portrayal of the diverse culture and heritage of the Black diaspora. This book intersperses traditional folktales with vivid accounts of immigration experiences from individuals who left the Caribbean islands and journeyed to England to help rebuild it after the Second World War (the Windrush generation). The narratives are compelling, nostalgic and thought provoking, catering to a cross-generational audience. The blending of Anansi, and other tricksters with shape-shifters from the oral tradition, and personal narratives of racial injustices abroad, creatively captures the historical and present-day struggles for freedom and survival that the Black diaspora is often faced with. The stories uniquely span the Caribbean islands depicting cultural similarities and differences that are both homely and heartwarming. The cultural tales are a mix of African, European and East Indian folktales which will peak the interest of any reader who is interested in Afro-Caribbean history and storytelling. |
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Photo Credits - Amy Brathwaite
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