Windrush Generation: Statue to be displayed in London being designed
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The Windrush passengers came to the UK for work and lots of them ended up staying
A permanent monument honouring the Windrush Generation is being designed.
The artwork, which will be installed at Waterloo Station in central London, has been commissioned by the government.
It has revealed a shortlist of four artists who want to make the statue.
The Windrush Monument is designed to celebrate the contributions people from Caribbean countries who travelled to live and work in the UK since 1948 have had to British life.
Baroness Floella Benjamin tells the story of the Windrush generation
Chair of the Windrush Commemoration Committee Baroness Floella Benjamin DBE said:
"The monument will be a permanent place of reflection and inspiration for Caribbean communities and the wider public, especially children.
"It will act as a symbolic link to our past, and a permanent reminder of our shared history and heritage for generations to come."
Around 500,000 people moved to the UK between 1948 and 1971 from Caribbean countries.
Some of them arrived on a ship called the Empire Windrush in 1948 and in 1971, were told they could stay permanently.
However, the government didn't keep a full record of everyone who had arrived and some of didn't apply for official paperwork like a UK passport.
Thousands of people were children at the time, who had travelled on their parents' passports.
After a change in immigration law in 2012, many of them were told they lived in the UK illegally and they faced being forced to leave the UK.
Without any official record or paperwork, many were unable to prove they had the right to live and work in the UK.
Some people were taken to immigration detention centres and some lost their jobs and homes.
Later the government had to apologise and give compensation to those who had been affected.
- Published24 November 2021
- Published18 June 2018
