Once upon a time thousands of young men and women who were members of the commonwealth were invited to start a new life in the United Kingdom by the British Empire. A ship was specially built for them by three royal fairies. Gold for dignity, titanium for strength and platinum for god speed. Everything was ready for them to start their journey, everything but the name.
The “Windrush “, – one of the fairies suggested – and everyone agreed with what it said.
“You must not fear” – the captain yelled – “we will not be immigrants in this case, instead, we will remain as British citizens.
“We will work hard as nurses, builders, teachers, secretaries and everything we possibly can be. All to remain legal in the land. We will contribute just as much as any other citizen. We will pay our taxes to make sure that everyone is covered. And years later, when the nation has been built we will enjoy the rewards of our incredible sacrifice.”
Years went by and the men and women from the commonwealth shed their blood and tears to build the nation.
Everyone gasped after hearing their words; building the country wasn’t enough.
“Now you must go back to the country you came from.”
Seventy years after the contribution of the Windrush generation, they are still mistreated, humiliated and fooled. The target-based culture policy of today’s home government department has shredded humanity and human rights.
“A mistake”, “an inadvertent result”, “unintentional” are just a few of the words that Amber Rudd, our former Home Secretary, has used to justify her actions, and those of her predecessor, the PM Teresa May, who created the policies that resulted in this tragedy and now hides behind Amber Rudd – her human shield.
But the truth is that a generation of young men and women from the commonwealth, that trusted the British nation and shed their blood and tears helping to build it, have been used, mocked, humiliated and betrayed.
And now my question is:
How would you feel if this had happened to you or any of your loved ones?
I’m not an activist I am just a human being that cares about injustice
Jordana Mba