The current hostile environment towards immigrants negates
the contribution the Windrush generation made - and continue to make - to
British life and the economy, a new report says.
Retired Caribbean nurses, some of whom still volunteer with the NHS, joined academics, artists and experts for an event celebrating their continuing legacy, at the University of Greenwich on Monday 29 October.
Professor of social sciences Tracey Reynolds says: "Nurses coming over in the 50s and 60s endured a lot. Someone could say 'I don't want you touching me because you're a black nurse'. It's difficult to say anything to the patient as they're vulnerable.
"So nurses developed strategies and networks – having people in the same situation was a huge help in challenging people and problems – and passed their resilience on to their children who passed it on to their children.
"This event challenges the idea that Caribbean people made no contribution to society by letting those who were there tell their story. Despite the daily racism they encountered many still believe strongly in the NHS and continue to volunteer."
Initial findings from Intergenerational Legacy of Windrush Nurses: Exploring the impact on successive generations were presented at the University of Greenwich on Monday 29 October.
The event was hosted by Applied Sociology Research Group, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences​ and Work and Employment Research Unit, Faculty of Business of the University of Greenwich. It was also supported by The Diversity Interest Group, University of Greenwich.
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