Acknowledged by the UK government since 2018, Windrush Day is recognised annually on 22 June.  The date marks the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush, which within public consciousness has come to symbolise the establishment of the Caribbean community within the UK. 

Serendipity’s Annual Windrush Day Lecture was established in 2020 and highlights the need for in-depth analysis and contextualisation amidst the urgency of Black Lives Matter, Brexit, the Windrush Scandal and the particularly detrimental impact of COVID-19 for Black communities.  The annual lecture hands the mic to esteemed thinkers, writers and educators to reflect on the construct of Windrush, add truth to the story of Black presence, persistence and resistance in the UK and unpack the reality behind British-Caribbean connections. 

Previous keynote lectures include:

• Professor Stephen Small – “Windrush Generation as Living History”
• Dr Beverley Bryan – “Key Moments and Issues in the Black British Civil Rights Movement”
•  Professor Gus John – “The Road to Independence”
• Gary Younge – “Representation, Relocation and Revelation”

The lectures contain insights into international history alongside personal anecdotes and offers a much-needed reflection on the very personal impact that legislation has on everyday lives.  A transcript of the lecture is subsequently published in BlackInk providing lasting documentation of social, political and cultural history.