The Windrush Generation and the generations that followed made enormous contributions to British society. They staffed the newly created National Health Service when it desperately needed workers. They drove the buses and the underground. They built houses and worked in factories. They established churches, community organisations, music scenes, and cultural institutions that became part of the fabric of British life.
Caribbean-British culture has enriched Britain in ways that are now so thoroughly integrated that many people do not think of them as contributions from elsewhere. Notting Hill Carnival, now one of the largest street festivals in Europe, began as a Caribbean community celebration. The influence of Caribbean music on British popular culture, from ska through reggae to jungle and grime, is profound and ongoing.
The economic contribution is equally significant. Decades of work, taxes paid, businesses built, public services provided, all of these represent value given to Britain by people who came with good faith and were often met with bad faith in return.
