Southwark Cathedral with host a Windrush Anniversary Service to celebrate the 500 Caribbean men and woman who arrived on British shores 75 years ago.
The service on Thursday, June 22, 2023, will celebrate the significant role the Windrush Generation played in shaping Southwark and Britain’s cultural landscape. It will include worship, music, reflections, readings and prayer.
Richard Reddie, Director of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, said: “The Windrush generation’s impact on Britain has been incalculable.
“For instance, they have transformed the spiritual climate on these shores since 1948; they have been a blessing to historic churches that were previously struggling numbers-wise, while Black Pentecostal congregations are bucking the trend of decline in attendance. This is to be celebrated, and God is to be praised!”
Hundreds of people arrived at Tilbury Docks aboard the HMT Empire Windrush on June 21, 1946, drawn by promises of employment in post-war Britain.
They faced endemic racism upon their arrival – but that didn’t stop them from flourishing and playing a pivotal role in the nation’s politics, arts, music and sport.
Many settled in and around Southwark, particularly in Peckham and Brixton.
In June 2022, a monument to the Windrush generation has been unveiled at Waterloo Station, made by Jamaican sculptor Basil Watson.
Southwark’s first black Mayor Sam King MBE, who passed away aged 90 in 2016, arrived in the UK aboard the famous HMT Windrush in 1948.
He moved to Sears Street, Camberwell, working as a postman, before founding the West Indian Gazette and co-organising the internationally recognised Notting Hill Carnival.
A Southwark Blue Plaque has since been erected in his honour – a scheme pioneered by Southwark News.
From the archives: The News’s 2010 interview with the late Sam King
The Rt Revd Dr Rosemarie Mallett, Bishop of Croydon, said: “This anniversary offers a unique moment in the life of our nation when we can honour the legacy of the Windrush generation and hear how younger voices are building on their extraordinary heritage.
“We will be celebrating their achievements and expressing our deep gratitude – as well as acknowledging the struggles that they have faced.”
