Windrush: The Irresistible Rise of Multi-Racial Britain

by Mike Phillips, Trevor Phillips

Offers a historical look at the integration of Great Britain

Genres: Nonfiction, History, British Literature, Tv, Canon

336 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1998

About the author

Mike Phillips was born in Georgetown, Guyana. He came to Britain as a child and grew up in London. He was educated at the University of London and the University of Essex, and gained a Postgraduate Certificate of Education at Goldsmiths College, London.

He worked for the BBC as a journalist and broadcaster between 1972 and 1983 on television programmes including The Late Show and Omnibus, before becoming a lecturer in media studies at the University of Westminster. He has written full-time since 1992. He is best known for his crime fiction, including four novels featuring black journalist Sam Dean: Blood Rights (1989), which was adapted for BBC television, The Late Candidate (1990), winner of the Crime Writers' Association Macallan Silver Dagger for Fiction, Point of Darkness (1994) and An Image to Die For (1995). The Dancing Face (1997) is a thriller centred on a priceless Benin mask. His most recent novel, A Shadow of Myself (2000), is a thriller about a black documentary filmmaker working in Prague and a man who claims to be his brother. He is currently working on a sequel.

Mike Phillips co-wrote Windrush: The Irresistible Rise of Multi-Racial Britain (1998) to accompany a BBC television series telling the story of the Caribbean migrant workers who settled in post-war Britain. His book, London Crossings: A Biography of Black Britain (2001), is a series of interlinked essays and stories, a portrait of the city seen from locations as diverse as New York and Nairobi, London and Lodz, Washington and Warsaw.

His latest book is Kind of Union (2005).

Reviews

[Marc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meaty, important, repetitive and enlightening. The current black british experience from all the things good and bad come directly from what the Windrush generation and those who fought in the second world war before. They paved the way so we could walk the streets in peace, vote, work, laugh & love openly in a country that has significantly changed its approach to black people. Mike and Trevor Phillips litter the book with true life accounts of struggle and oppression which I found to be interesting, but at times excessive. The book then goes on to explore the systemic mechanisms of racism, british cultural attitudes and the changes that came about all in great detail. It came with an abundance of information, but often lacked tone.

[Ahmed Hassan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An informative read with factual accounts chronicling the events that shaped the migration of Caribbean people to the UK. I particularly enjoyed reading about the involvement of black Caribbean's within WWI and II, whether it be as pilots, intelligence operatives, or civil engineers during the rebuild periods. Also has a great account about the Notting Hill carnival and how it developed post the civil unrest during the Notting Dale riots to being a celebration of Caribbean-British identity over the decades.

There is a lot to take-in and the way it's written, with strong points made by the author backed by lengthy accounts from interviews, at times, detracted my attention from the main points. The history itself is a fascinating summary which articulates various themes that other diaspore immigrants could relate to.

I really enjoyed learning about the interplay between politics, social infrastructure and the cultural attitudes that shaped each period. Some of these actions being intentional and some of it accidental.

Notably (i) Post WWI & II and the British political campaigns to rebuild the country by appealing to skilled workers from its colonial commonwealth nations to migrate, harnessing a Nationalist overtone whereby immigrants believed they were British upon arrival, but soon realising otherwise (ii) Those immigrants who stayed-on and the challenges they faced in assimilating within Britain. Living habitats and dwellings in cities across the UK establishing themselves on 'slum-like' foundations once prominent businessmen saw opportunities to prosper from the inequalities (iii) Concentration of frustration leading to protests which gave rise to black figures within society to form clubs and activist groups providing an outlet for common voices to be heard in public (iv) Changing attitudes within the political arena which supported a shift from Nationalism to more liberal ideals via more inclusive legislation in order to secure votes (v) Enoch Powell 'rivers of blood' speech speaking-out against immigration (which received majority support from Brit's at he time) forging unity amongst the naysayers and a new wave of Black identity to imprint itself on British culture via music, drama and the arts (vi) and the ultimate backlash post the Thatcher years which rallied white Brits in partnership with minority causes.

There are many subtle points made throughout the book about UK media's role in the portrayal of black people, stereotyping, the sexualisation of black men which ultimately played a role in supporting their integration within society; and the indelible heritage still witnessed in modern day Britain of the Caribbean Windrush generation who came from well-to-do socially affable backgrounds.

In short, it's a good read that provides empirical-backed knowledge, but requires patience.

[Malcolm Dyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m late reading this important, fascinating and informative book. As I read the ongoing stories of the Caribbean people who made Britain their home my own white heritage and privilege was challenged. Many books have been written about race, especially in recent days, but this book deserves and needs to be kept in print to keep the memories of the Windrush generation alive and current. This is necessary because culture has a short memory. As I finished the book and read the stories of assimilation I could not help reflecting on recent Govermental attempts to send some of the Windrush generation back to the Caribbean, to what would be a foreign culture and country. How sad lessons have still to be learnt.

[Michael Trup · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating study for someone interested in the immigration experience. Most memorable episode for me was the comment that this was the first time that the Carribean immigrants discovered that there were poor, uneducated white people. Previously, they had only encountered whites as Colonialists, vicars and teachers.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

West London’s Notting Hill was where many of the recent migrants had settled; or, more precisely, Notting Hill and Notting Dale. However, after the riots in 1958, which made the district notorious as a centre of racial conflict, the distinction was forgotten and the whole area was called Notting Hill. Increasingly, and all through the fifties, there were West Indians all over London: in Clapham going through south London to Brixton; in Euston moving north to Finsbury Park, Holloway, all over Islington and up to the borders of Hackney in the east; in other major cities like Nottingham, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. But Notting Hill was the headquarters which caught the public imagination even before the 1958 riots.

The book was a verbatim recording of some BBC interviews with the Windrush generation and beyond. Ive always loved Caribbean culture and its contribution to the Uk society. The stories and anecdotes paint a picture of a generation that had to fight hard for recognition, a place in society, against all odds, especially racism and ignorance. I had watched the interviews already so this was just a written record.

[Jess Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting content, really loved the huge range of different perspectives and people they’d engaged in this book. I don’t know if it was reading it over such a long period (library book so primarily read during the day) but I felt like the effort to include so much interview content meant the structure wasn’t always the clearest and I probably would’ve appreciated some more hard stats/facts interspersed with the interview content.

[Cherry-Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent text. Wonderful interviews of the Windrush years. A must-read to have an understanding of the "truth" of British West Indians and their migration to England. Easily read scholarly text.

[Trawets · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really couldn't get into this one, which is a pity as I had looked forward to reading it.

[Ray B · Rating 3 out of 5]

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