Award-winner hails Windrush generation as heroes

Karl Brown was recently awarded the Sir Alexander Bustamante Award

The winner of a prestigious award recognising exceptional contributions by individuals of Caribbean heritage said the "real heroes" are the Windrush generation.

Bristol lawyer Karl Brown won this year’s Sir Alexander Bustamante Award for his dedication to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.

Mr Brown’s parents emigrated to the UK from Jamaica in the 1960s as part of a mass-migration movement after World War Two.

Speaking to BBC Radio Bristol's Emma Britton, Mr Brown said he hopes to "carry the baton" from all those who have gone before him.

People in the Caribbean were invited to the UK to help rebuild post-war Britain and became known as the Windrush generation.

"I'll always remember that no matter what I've achieved, in my mind, it doesn't compare to what the Windrush generation went through," Mr Brown said.

"I'm just carrying the baton of what they laid in terms of the foundations, and hopefully make them proud.”

Mr Brown (R) said he wants to encourage young people to aim for professions

Mr Brown said it was an "honour and humbling" to receive the award named after Jamaica’s first prime minister.

"Whilst of course I'm proud of my British heritage, I've also got a pride in my Jamaican heritage as well,” he said.

Mr Brown received the award for his work to increase diversity in the legal and other professions.

"If we can make a profession such as law inclusive and people feel like they can actually be themselves and thrive by being themselves, then to me everyone's a winner,” he said.

The lawyer said he is particularly interested in "social mobility" within the legal profession.

Mr Brown said: "I don't know if you know the phrase ‘cannot be what you cannot see?’ Back when I was trying to break into the legal profession, there weren't as many black solicitors or lawyers from either a Caribbean heritage or other diverse types of heritage."

The award-winner said when you are in that situation, it can be "more difficult to visualise breaking into that profession".

He told the BBC he wants to show young people that if he can make it into a profession such as law with "determination, resilience and mentoring", then so can they.