Stories of the Windrush Children, with Benjamin Zephaniah
Channel: British Library
Date: 2021-07-21

Join us to mark Windrush Day, set up in 2018 to celebrate and commemorate the Windrush Generation and their contribution to British history. This year we look at the stories and experiences of children who came to the UK from the Caribbean as part of the post-war immigration boom, and those who were left behind, joining their parents in their new life later on.

In this event Benjamin Zephaniah will be in conversation with Black Cultural Archives Learning and Engagement Manager Ayshah Johnston, chaired by journalist and broadcaster Kieran Yates, to further explore the themes in his book, Windrush Child, and the legacy and struggles of this unique community.

Dr Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah was born in Birmingham, England. He is one of the pioneers of the performance poetry scene in Britain. He has spent most of his life performing around the world in schools, universities, concert halls, and more. His poetry is noted for mixing serious issues with humour, and being accessible to a wide range of people. He has also written poetry for children, novels for young adults, and plays for radio and stage. Although his music is rooted in reggae, his wider influences include, Jazz, Hip Hop, and Dubstep. He contributes to many radio programmes and has presented documentaries on television concerning literature, culture, race and politics. His latest book, Windrush Child, explores the experiences of the children of the Windrush Generation.

Dr Ayshah Johnston is the Learning and Engagement Manager at Black Cultural Archives (BCA). She draws on her experience as a museum and community educator to reach out to school children and family audiences, alongside facilitating research collaborations with UK universities. She is driven by her passion for history and for ensuring that the Black British experience is widely shared and understood, and embedded within national historical narratives. As well as being recently awarded her PhD in history, Ayshah is also a prize-winning writer, and has had her stories published in anthologies in Jamaica. She is excited about BCA’s first ever publishing collaboration with Scholastic, in the form of the new children’s book The Place for Me: Stories of the Windrush Generation launching this month.

Kieran Yates is a Journalist, broadcaster and editor, who writes about current affairs, culture, and politics. A prolific writer and leading young journalist, her work has appeared everywhere from The Guardian, Vice Magazine, The Independent and beyond. She regularly hosts events, including Southbank’s WOW festival and the London Literature Festival. She has written a book Generation Vexed where she interviewed young people from SB.TV. She works frequently as a broadcaster for the BBC and Channel 4 News.

In association with the Black Cultural Archives