The Women of Windrush: Claudia Jones | by Trisha Husbands
22nd June 2023 was the 75th anniversary of Windrush, named after HMS Windrush the boat which docked at Tilbury in Essex, and brought the first wave of people from the Caribbean and African diaspora to Britain post second world war which started in the 1950s and carried on well into the 1970s. Many men arrived first, leaving their wives and children behind, and would follow on later. Once they started arriving, a shift in family life started to happen and many women became pioneers of that generation.
The people that came included soldiers, doctors, nurses, teachers, artists, politicians, and many more professionals. They were invited to work in the UK by the then Government and later became known as ‘The Windrush Generation.
It’s well documented that they suffered many challenges upon their arrival to the UK including racism, substandard housing, and exclusion from many parts of social society which were no-go areas for the black community.
Claudia Jones, a Trinidadian journalist and activist exiled from America to Britain and worked on the West Indian Gazette and Afro-Asian Caribbean News (WIG). The paper became a voice and key contributor to the rise of consciousness within the Black British community. Claudia organized events to celebrate Caribbean culture ‘in the face of the hate from white racists’. The world-famous Notting Hill Carnival was formed to help heal wounds and unite the neighborhood.
Claudia introduced carnival shows which are native to her homeland of Trinidad to help form a unity between Caribbean people and Britain. The first of these shows was held at St Pancras Hall in 1959 then at Seymour Hall. Claudia’s show was televised by the BBC where musical acts such as Fitzroy Coleman, Mighty Terror, Boscoe Holder and Pearl Prescod, and the Trinidad All-Stars Steel Band performed at the request of Claudia. These early celebrations were epitomized by the slogan: "A people's art is the genesis of their freedom”.
Claudia died in 1964, aged 49, but she is recognized as one of the founding members that helped start the recognition and celebration of Caribbean culture. This was continued after her death by Rhuanne Antoniette Laslett-O’Brien. Rhuanne was also a community activist and was involved with a playgroup where a children’s carnival was formed, which eventually led to the creation of the Notting Hill Carnival.
It was Claudia’s determination to bring light out of one dark chapter of that time. The murder of Kelso Cochrane in 1959 was the first officially termed ‘race crime’. Kelso, who worked as a carpenter to facilitate his legal studies, was walking home one night and was attacked by a group of white youths who stabbed him with a stiletto knife. Three men took him to the hospital but Kelso died- he was just 32 years old. His funeral was attended by over 1,200 people. The infamous Notting Hill Riots and others across the UK followed the murder and race relations were at an all-time low.
As we celebrate and reflect on this milestone, with many who are now 3rd and 4th generation Caribbean, It’s important to celebrate the many women who were instrumental in forging harmony and recognize what Caribbean people bought and contributed to the UK. Thank you to all those, including my parents that did.
Trisha Husbands is a Project Management Alum based in London and is writing for the Apprentice Lens as part of the Blogging Team. Here's more about her:
"I've always had a lot to say and thought it's about time I put my ideas down and write about things that matter to me. Lots of things inspire me and I'm passionate about lots of things. Writing these blogs will be a great way to hone my writing skills and challenge myself."