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WINDRUSH WITNESS PROJECT

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An oral history project to record the stories of the Windrush Generation and their descendants who have been affected by the  ‘hostile environment’. The 2014 Immigration Act means that without proof of citizenship individuals are denied access to public and many private services such as housing. Migrants from the Caribbean who have a legal right to remain in the UK by the 1973 Immigration Act have been victimised.  They were not given Documents to prove their legal status and one of the few pieces of documentation which exists their Landing Cards were destroyed by the government. Many have lost; homes, jobs, education, access to health services, as well as being incarcerated indefinitely in detention centres. Many have been deported and many who left the country for visits were unable to re enter.  This is understandably been an extremely traumatic experience for those who have gone through it. Historian David Olusoga’s documentary “The Unwanted” was aired on BBC 2 on Monday 24th June 2019 . It Highlights some of the horrendous treatment that people underwent. Interviews will take place across the North West England either in the homes of the participants or at other venues which are convenient to them.

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WINDRUSH WITNESS PROJECT

​

An oral history project to record the stories of the Windrush Generation and their descendants who have been affected by the  ‘hostile environment’. The 2014 Immigration Act means that without proof of citizenship individuals are denied access to public and many private services such as housing. Migrants from the Caribbean who have a legal right to remain in the UK by the 1973 Immigration Act have been victimised.  They were not given Documents to prove their legal status and one of the few pieces of documentation which exists their Landing Cards were destroyed by the government. Many have lost; homes, jobs, education, access to health services, as well as being incarcerated indefinitely in detention centres. Many have been deported and many who left the country for visits were unable to re enter.  This is understandably been an extremely traumatic experience for those who have gone through it. Historian David Olusoga’s documentary “The Unwanted” was aired on BBC 2 on Monday 24th June 2019 . It Highlights some of the horrendous treatment that people underwent. Interviews will take place across the North West England either in the homes of the participants or at other venues which are convenient to them.

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WINDRUSH WONDERS

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Windrush Wonders Oral History Project Launched at the West Indian Sports and Social Club in Moss Side on 31st October 2019.

 

The project aims record the memories and stories of African Caribbean people of the Windrush generation and their descendants, who have been affected by the Hostile Environment. Over 80 people attended.

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KEYNOTE SPEAKERS 

Gorton MP Afzal Khan, Liverpool’s first Black Mayor Anna Rothery as well as people affected by the Hostile Environment like Owen Haisley who told their personal stories.

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Anna Rothery said "The hostile environment is not a new thing it's been around for a long, long time but what is new is the normalisation of this language and mistreatment." 

BECOME AN INTERVIEWER​

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The Windrush Witness project aims to enable the wider communities of Greater Manchester, Stockport and Preston learn about the experience of the Windrush generation by conducting interviews and producing a book.

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PRESERVE LOCAL HERITAGE

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We trained our first cohort in qualitative interviewing with the help of Central Library and the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Centre.

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They were taught how to build the rapport levels necessary to gain an insight into the experiences of Windrush Citizens.

Why?​

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The reason the book is important is that many older members of the African Caribbean community do not use the internet and a printed book which they could keep for the future  is a very important part of raising their self-esteem which will have been damaged by then negative effects of the hostile environment. 

 

Marcia Hutchinson carried out a similar project  in Huddersfield in 1998 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Windrush and the book that accompanied that Project was highly valued.  2 of the 10 people who took part in that project of since died and the book and the portrait of them which were produced as part of the project were used at their funerals and family members explain that this was the only written record of their relatives lives.

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