Sixty years ago, people from the West Indies began to shape modern Britain, writes Patrick Vernon

LAST week marked the 60th anniversary of the MV Empire Windrush’s arrival in this country. The ship had sailed from the Caribbean to Tilbury. The transformation of post-war Britain started on June 21 1948 with the first major wave of migration of 492 men and women from Jamaica and Trinidad. Although there has been a black presence in Britain since Roman times – at one stage, 10,000 black people lived in London during the 17th century – the impact of the Windrush generation, along with other Commonwealth nationals from Africa, India and Pakistan arriving during this period, played a significant role in creating and shaping modern Britain. In many ways, they helped to put the “Great” into Great Britain by contributing to one of the most successful post-war economies in Europe and making ours one of the most vibrant and tolerant multicultural societies in the world.

Despite the colour bar and the infamous slogan “No Blacks, Dogs or Irish”, the Caribbean community embraced Britain in the belief learned from their colonial education that the “mother country” cared and valued all its subjects. This was highlighted earlier when more than 10,000 Caribbean men and women volunteered during the Second World War.

Their hopes and aspirations were never fully realised, as they were treated as second-class citizens in terms of access to education, employment and housing, coupled with the treatment they received from the police. They had to endure hardship and make sacrifices which they suffered in silence and kept hidden from their families. In addition, there was violence and hostility leading to race riots, uprisings and the growth of fascism on the streets in Britain where black and other ethnic minority communities lived in a fearful and unstable environment.

This was because politicians at the time failed to tell the British public that people from the Commonwealth were coming here to work in partnership to make this country a better place for everyone. Like the working class in Britain, people from the Commonwealth also had to deal with poverty and inequality aggravated by the Second World War. The seeds of poverty were sown in the 1930s, which saw working-class action with the Jarrow March in Britain and major strike action and unrest in the Caribbean. Whether they came from Lancashire or Yorkshire, the Midlands, Jamaica, Barbados, Nigeria, Ghana, India or Sri Lanka, working people were in the same boat.

In 1938, a royal commission was established called the Moyne Report which reported on the poverty and social inequality across the whole Caribbean. The report was also a project to test out the suitability of black people for self-government. The recommendations were subsequently buried and not released until after the Second World War.

One of the key contributions made by the Windrush generation has been to make white Britain more civilised, based on the shared acknowledgment of social injustice and the values of hard work, tolerance and respect. The long history and campaigns for racial equality and against the colour bar from the 1950s to the 1970s was the British equivalent of the civil rights movement. Race relations and subsequent human rights legislation on gender, disability and sexual orientation have made this country a more humane and socially aware place.

This was reinforced by cultural dialogue on lifestyles, relationships, musical tastes and food by which black, white, Asian and other communities created the multicultural ethos which is now an accepted part of mainstream thinking and society.

Despite the initial hostility of the union movement and suspicions of elected representatives on local councils and in Parliament, the Windrush generation embraced trade unions and Labour as the party of social justice fighting for the rights of working-class communities. It also recognised the importance of voting and playing an active role in public life at local and national level. This legacy is now reflected in the 14 black and Asian minority ethnic Labour MPs, with Diane Abbott and Valerie Amos making history as the first black woman MP and the first black woman Leader of the House of Lords, and Paul Boateng being appointed as the first black Cabinet minister. Jennette Arnold now chairs the London Assembly. In addition, there are a growing number of BAME councillors and individuals who sit on the boards of public sector bodies and voluntary sector organisations.

The union movement has also made changes, with champions such as Bill Morris and Gloria Mills playing significant roles and being role models for black trade unionists. The unions have developed effective campaigns against the British National Party. They also campaign for the rights of agency and migrant workers, along with defending the rights of refugees and asylum seekers.

All this illustrates the power and impact of the Windrush generation, where people from BAME backgrounds in communities in partnership with socialists, liberals and trade unionists have worked together to create a positive and tolerant society.

The Windrush generation is now disappearing, as many of these pioneers come to the end of their lives or are suffering from long-term health problems or languishing in residential and nursing homes. A number emigrated back to the Caribbean. We need to acknowledge and preserve the legacy of those who came to Britain as part of the collective and symbolic generation called the Windrush generation and who paved the way for black Britons and shaped the dynamics of social, cultural and political life over the past 60 years.

Despite the inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence, human rights legislation and other measures designed to promote equality, there is growing racial inequality in our country. Caribbean and African communities are now forging their own black British identity and no longer see Labour as their natural home. The Tories are tapping into their frustration by selecting more black candidates in winnable seats, as well as wooing black Labour supporters to switch allegiances before the next general election. However, we know in the labour movement that there is no genuine commitment to equality on the part of the Tories or other political parties at Westminster. All is not lost and Labour still has time to engage with second and third generation black Britons to show that it still cares, values their contributions and is the party for social justice.

One of the most fitting tributes we could make would be to introduce a national holiday to remind everyone of how modern Britain came about as a result of the Windrush generation. We also need to promote the ongoing discussion about migrant workers and refugee communities who are now at the bottom of the pile – just like those who arrived on the MV Empire Windrush in 1948.

Patrick Vernon is a Labour councillor in Hackney

The Imperial War Museum has a major exhibition called “From War to Windrush” which is free and runs until March 28 2009. For further details, visit: www.iwm.org.uk/windrush