‘Windrush: The Years After’ seeks to tell a story of national importance from a local perspective.
Windrush: the Years After is important because the history of African Caribbean people’s heritage in Britain is under-represented and under-acknowledged by mainstream British history. KLTV wants to help change the current situation by capturing the memories of African Caribbean people and their families, adding them to the historical record, and give everyone a chance to learn about the important roles that African Caribbean communities have played in shaping modern Britain, West Yorkshire, and more importantly, Huddersfield.
The Empire Windrush has become symbolic of the movement of Caribbean economic migrants invited to fill Britain's massive labour shortage after the end of the Second World War. In reality people travelled on numerous ships and later planes to work in Britain's industries, manufacturing, construction, transport, health, and other public services. People came to Huddersfield from between the early 1950s and the mid 1970s through direct recruitment, word of mouth and chance encounters. Often planning to stay only for five years or so, many pioneers found themselves staying longer. Home life, raising children, school, employment and community links grew up making a return to the Caribbean less and less likely. As Britain's colonial and imperial power eroded, attitudes about race, ethnicity and identity persisted, challenging every aspect of everyday life for Britain's newcomers for decades. Manufacturing and industries declined too and as Huddersfield's ring-road and redevelopment occurred in the 1970s, later generations grew up in neighbourhoods further from the town centre. Communities have continued to evolve and reflect wider social, economic, cultural and political changes and have been joined by later newcomers.
Windrush: the Years After is reclaiming these varied experiences and tracing the resilience of the African Caribbean descent community. KLTV is training volunteers to record on film the personal testimonies of individuals who, despite barriers of race, prejudice and many forms of exclusion over many years, have shown courage and determination as community activists, faith leaders, musicians, writers, professionals or simply as themselves. Working with volunteers from across Huddersfield, KLTV's project team are also gathering and archiving photographs and memorabilia that will become permanent learning resources accessible at the University of Huddersfield. Newly produced classroom materials will be available to local schools on wide-ranging aspects of African Caribbean historical experience.
If you would like to take part in film making, being interviewed, bringing together historical materials and future events, please contact us at [email protected]
Kirkleeslocaltv.com
Kirklees Local TV (KLTV) is a social enterprise film production company and internet-based TV station that records, documents and broadcasts news, views and produces programmes for the diverse audiences of Kirklees and West Yorkshire.
KLTV gathers and disseminates news reports on wide-ranging matters on a weekly basis and currently receives 180,000 hits per month from people accessing various content and information on its website.
About the Heritage Lottery Fund
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For Further Information:
If you would like to find out more about the Windrush: The Years After project, or to take part in it (for example: learning interview techniques, video production, or to share your own story) please contact us at [email protected]. Windrush: The Years After project is run by a team of volunteers. We aim to contact you within 5 working days in response to any queries.
