British Jamaicans

British Jamaicans(orJamaican British people) areBritish peoplewho were born inJamaicaor who are of Jamaican descent.The community is well into its third generation and consists of around 300,000 individuals, the second-largestJamaican population, behind the United States, living outside of Jamaica.TheOffice for National Statisticsestimates that in 2015, some 137,000 people born in Jamaica were resident in the UK. The number of Jamaican nationals is estimated to be significantly lower, at 49,000 in 2015.
Jamaicans have been present in the UK since the start of the 20th century; however, by far the largest wave of migration occurred after theSecond World War.During the 1950s, Britain's economy was suffering greatly and the nation was plagued with high labour shortages.TheBritish governmentlooked to itsoverseas coloniesfor help and encouraged migration in an effort to fill the many job vacancies.Jamaicans, alongside otherCaribbean,AfricanandSouth Asiangroups, moved in their hundreds of thousands to the United Kingdom. Almost half of all the men who came from the Caribbean to the UK throughout the 1950s had previously worked in skilled positions or possessed excellent employment credentials.The majority of Jamaicans settled inGreater Londonand found work in the likes ofLondon Transport,British Railand theNHS.
TheCaribbeanisland nation of Jamaica was aBritish colonybetween 1655 and 1962. More than 300 years of British rule changed the face of the island considerably (having previously been underSpanish rule, which depopulated the indigenousArawakandTainocommunities) – and 92.1% of Jamaicans are descended from sub-Saharan Africans who were brought over during theAtlantic slave trade.Jamaica is thethird most populous English-speaking nationin theAmericasand the local dialect of English is known asJamaican Patois.The tight-knit link between Jamaica and the United Kingdom remains evident to this day. There has been a long and well established Jamaican community in the United Kingdom since near the beginning of the 20th century.Many Jamaicans fought for Britain in World War I, with theBritish West Indies Regimentrecruiting solely from the British overseas colonies in the Caribbean.
Volunteers originally only came from four nations (excluding Jamaica), however as the regiment grew thousands of Jamaican men were recruited and ultimately made up around two-thirds of the 15,600 strong regiment.The British West Indies Regiment fought for Britain in theSinai and Palestine Campaignas well as theEast African Campaign. Many of these men became the first permanent Jamaican immigrants in the United Kingdom after World War I, some of whom also subsequently fought for the country in World War II.Despite this, by far the largest wave of Jamaican migration to the United Kingdom including people of all genders and ages occurred in the middle of the 20th century. A major hurricane in August 1944 ravaged eastern Jamaica leading to numerous fatalities and major economic loss after crops were destroyed by flooding. This acted as a push factor in the migration of Jamaicans and at the time by far the largest pull factor was the promise of jobs in Britain.Post-war Britain was suffering from significant labour shortage and looked to its overseas colonies for help,British Rail, theNHSandLondon transportwere noted as being the largest recruiters.
On 21 June 1948, theHMTEmpire Windrusharrived in Britain with, among other migrants from the Caribbean, 492 Jamaicans on-board who had been invited to the country to work; they officially disembarked from the ship on 22 June 1948. Many more followed, as the steady flow of Jamaicans to the United Kingdom was maintained due to the continuing labour shortage.Between 1955 and 1968, 191,330 Jamaicans settled in the UK.These first-generation migrants created the foundation of a community that is now well into its third if not fourth generation.
Jamaicans continued to migrate to the United Kingdom during the 1970s and 1980s, albeit in smaller numbers, the majority of these people were from poor households and went to extreme lengths to get to Britain.There is an uneven distribution of household wealth throughout Jamaica and during the economic crisis of the 1990s lower class Jamaicans continued to migrate in significant numbers. A lot of these later arrivals came from Jamaica's capital and largest city,Kingstonwhere the divide between rich and poor is much more evident than other places on the island.Most first-generation immigrants moved to Britain in order to seek and improved standard of living, escape violence or to find employment. Almost half of all the men who came from the Caribbean to the UK throughout the 1950s had previously worked in skilled positions or possessed excellent employment credentials. However, many found their access restricted to jobs the local population considered undesirable, such as general labouring, or to jobs that demanded anti-social hours. Over half the men from the Caribbean initially accepted jobs with a lower status than their skills and experience qualified them for.Jamaicans, therefore, followed the pattern of other irregular immigrant groups where they tended to work in poorly paid jobs in poor working conditions as these were often the only ones available to them.
Throughout the late 20th century, the Jamaican community in the United Kingdom has been brought into the spotlight due to the involvement of Jamaicans in race-related riots. The first notable event to occur was the1958 Notting Hill race riotswhen an argument between local white youths and a Jamaican man, alongside increasing tensions between both communities lead to several nights of disturbances, rioting and attacks.
Due to instances ofpolice brutalityby theMetropolitan Police, thesus lawwhich overwhelmingly targeted British Jamaicans to bestopped and searched, and the unprovoked shooting of a Jamaican woman in her Lambeth home after police believed she was hiding her wanted son,a riot broke out in Brixton in 1985.In 2005,another series of race riots in Birminghamoccurred as a result of the alleged rape of a 14-year-old Jamaican girl by a group of up to 20 South Asian men including the Pakistani store owner it was reported she initially stole from.TheMurder of Stephen Lawrenceoccurred in 1993, the London teenager of Jamaican parentage was stabbed to death in a racially motivated attack. The murder was handled in such a bad way by the Metropolitan Police that an inquiry into this established that the force had been institutionally racist, the investigation has been called 'one of the most important moments in the modern history of criminal justice in Britain' and contributed heavily to the creation and passing of theCriminal Justice Act 2003.Many Jamaicans live in the UK having no legal status, having come at a period of less strict immigration policies. Some Jamaican social groups have claimed asylum under the1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, this only continued until 2003 when Jamaica was placed on the Non-Suspensive Appeal list when restrictions on UK visas came into place, making it more difficult for Jamaicans to travel to the UK.
The2011 UK Censusrecorded 159,170 people born in Jamaica resident in England, 925 in Wales,564 in Scotlandand 117 in Northern Ireland,making a total Jamaica-born population of 160,776. According to the previous census,held in 2001, 146,401 people born in Jamaica were living in the UK, making them the seventh-largest foreign-born group in the UK at the time.The equivalent figure for 2015 has been estimated at 137,000 by theOffice for National Statistics, making them the 16th-largest foreign-born group.TheJamaican High Commissionin London estimates that there are around 800,000 British people of Jamaican origin in the UK.Jamaicans in the UK are fairly widely dispersed, although there are some locations with much larger numbers and higher concentrations of Jamaican people than others – namely London.The Greater London area is home to some 250,000 Jamaicans, whilst the second largest number which is 45,000 individuals can be found in theWest Midlands.25,000 Jamaicans are thought to live inSouth West England, 18,000 in theEast Midlands, 40,400inSouth East England, 14,000 inNorth West Englandand 11,500 inYorkshire and the Humber.Much smaller numbers are located inWales(3,000) andScotland, which theInternational Organization for Migrationsuggests that a mere 40 Jamaicans call home.Within the stated regions of the United Kingdom, most people of Jamaican origin can be found in the larger cities and towns. The largest Jamaican communities in the UK are listed below (all figures are 2007 estimates by the IOM, as there is not a specific "Jamaican" tick-box in the UK census to identify where Jamaicans live within the country).
Besides the above locations, the IOM has also identified the following towns and cities as having notable Jamaican communities:Bath,Bedford,Bradford,Cardiff,Coventry,Derby,Doncaster,Huddersfield,Ipswich,Liskeard,Luton,Middlesbrough,Milton Keynes,Northampton,Swansea,Swindon,TruroandWolverhampton.The majority of British Jamaicans are in the age range of 18 and 45, and investigation by the IOM into the ages of community members found that it is more or less on par with the general makeup of the British population. Around 8% of people investigated were under the age of 25, around 13% were in between the ages of 25 and 34. 22% were between 35 and 44, 27% were between 45 and 54 whilst 18% of respondents were aged between 55 and 64. The remainder were 65 years of age or older. As stated earlier, this investigation only involved a few hundred community members it is a balanced representation of the Jamaican community in the UK.Evidence that the Jamaican British community is a long established one is the fact that only around 10% of Jamaicans in the UK moved to the country in the decade leading up to 2007.In terms ofcitizenship, all Jamaicans who moved to the UK prior to Jamaican Independence in 1962 were automatically grantedBritish citizenshipbecause Jamaica was anoverseas colony of the country.Jamaican immigrants must now apply for citizenship if they wish to become British nationals. The above table shows the number of Jamaicans granted citizenship in recent years.
The 2001 UK Census showed that 73.7% of Black Caribbeans adhered to the Christian faith, whilst 11.3% of respondents claimed to beatheist. This ranks as a higher percentage of Christians per head compared to Black Africans (68.8%), but a slightly lower percentage thanWhite BritishChristians (75.7%).Jamaicans and people of Jamaican descent are regular religious worshippers and the majority of them worship across a wide range of mainly Black led Christian denominations as well as in the more mainstreamAnglicanand Roman Catholic churches. Over recent years the number of regular White worshipers in Anglican churches in particular have decreased significantly, numbers however have been maintained by Black Caribbeans and (mostly Jamaicans) who have taken their places.Other common Christian denominations followed by Jamaicans in the UK includePentecostalism, theSeventh-day Adventist Church,Jehovah's Witnesses, the Pilgrims Union Church, theBaptist churchandMethodism.
The earliest Jamaican immigrants to post-war Britain found differences in diet and availability of food an uncomfortable challenge.In later years, as the community developed and food imports became more accessible to all, grocers specialising in Caribbean produce opened in Britishhigh streets. Caribbean restaurants can now also be found in most areas of Britain where Jamaicans and other such groups reside, serving traditionalCaribbean dishessuch ascurry goat, frieddumplings, andackee and saltfish(the national dish of Jamaica). "Jerk" is a style of cooking from Jamaica in which meats (including pork and chicken) are dry-rubbed or wet marinated with a very hot spice mixture. The best known Caribbean food brands in the UK are Dunn's River, Tropical Sun, Walkerswood andGrace Foods. Grace Foods is originally from Jamaica but is now a multi national conglomerate.
In March 2007, Grace Foods bought ENCO Products, owners of the Dunn's River Brand, as well as "Nurishment", a flavoured, sweetened enriched milk drink, and the iconic Encona Sauce Range. Grace Foods supplies around one third of products in the UK and has global headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica.Tropical Sun products and ingredients have been widely available in the UK for over 20 years and were originally known as Jamaica Sun with products mainly sourced from the Caribbean. Walkerswood, also of Jamaican origin, is now owned by New Castle Limited and has a range of sauce and marinade products.In 2001, Port Royal started manufacturingJamaican pattiesin London, which are available in supermarkets and Caribbean takeaways across the UK. A patty is the Caribbean version of a Cornish Pasty, pastry with a meat filling. Following its success in 2007 on TV showDragons' Den, theLevi Roots brandhas grown into a multi-million pound enterprise.Reggae Reggae Sauceand other Levi Roots products are now stocked in all major UK supermarkets.In 2021, Grace Foods launched itsIrie Eats Caribbeanstreet food range atTesco. This came in response to 2021Minteldata, which revealed that nearly half (49%) of Brits would like to try Caribbean cuisine at home.Various other Jamaican brands have expanded their presence in the UK food and grocery market.
Jamaican and Caribbean cuisine is becoming increasingly popular in the UK.Caribbean food topped a (2015) list of cuisine types that British diners want more of on menus.According to a report by the Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export), the number of Caribbean restaurants in the UK tripled in the 12 months leading up to August 2019.Jerk chickenhas been named as the UK's favourite Caribbean dish.
There have been a number of British Jamaicans who have made their mark in theworld of fashion.SupermodelNaomi Campbellwas the first black model to appear on the front cover ofTime,French Vogue,Russian Vogueand the September issue ofAmerican Vogue.Jourdan Dunnbecame the first black model to walk forPradasince Naomi Campbell and was chosen as the face ofMaybelline New Yorkin 2014.Dunn became the first black British model to enter theForbes model rich listand is considered an iconand supermodel.Munroe Bergdorfhas walked several catwalks for brands includingGypsy Sportand was the firsttransgendermodel in the UK forL'Oréal.Leomie Andersonhas walked in variousVictoria's Secret Fashion Showsand became first black BritishVictoria's Secret Angel.Bruce Oldfieldis best known for hiscoutureandbridalweardesigns and has a client list that includesQueen Rania of Jordan,Jerry Hall,Samantha Cameron,Charlotte Rampling,Jemima Khan,Sienna Miller,Rihanna,Catherine Zeta-Jonesand the lateDiana, Princess of Wales. Oldfield collaborated withMcDonald'sin 2008 and received anOBEfor his services to the British fashion industry.Another notable contributor isGrace Wales Bonnerwho founded the London-based label Wales Bonner. Originally specialising in menswear, her designs have earned several prestigious awards.Bianca Saunders is the British holder of theANDAMFashion Award for young talent and her designs have been picked up bySsense,matchesfashion.comand Machine-A.Other notable contributors include Nicholas DaleyandMartine Rose.
British Jamaicans have made significant contributions to British literature. PoetJames Berrywas among the first Caribbean writers to come to Britain after the 1948 British Nationality Act. Berry's writing often explored the relationship between black and white communities and he was in the forefront of championing Caribbean/British writing. In 1981, he won thePoetry Society'sNational Poetry Competition, the first poet of Caribbean origin to win the prestigious prize.Andrew Salkeywas another leading figure of the first wave of post-war Caribbean writers who settled and worked in London. He was the main presenter of BBC'sCaribbean Voicesand was a key figure in the formation of theCaribbean Artists Movement.Berry, Salkey,Halland other first wave writers gaveCaribbean literaturean international audience for the first time and helped establish Caribbean writing as an important viewpoint withinEnglish literature.
More contemporary contributions come from authors includingAndrea Levywhose novelSmall Islandwon theWhitbread Book of the Yearand theOrange Prize for Fiction, one of Britain's highest literary honours. The book also earned Levy the 2005Commonwealth Writers' Prizeand was voted Best of the Best Orange prize novelSmall Islandtells the tangled history of Jamaica and UK through the eyes of characters who in 1948 arrive at Tilbury, London, on theHMTEmpire Windrush.BBC NewsincludedSmall Islandon its list of the100 most influential novelsand it was made into a two-parttelevision drama of the same title.Levy became the first writer of colour whose pen would join theRoyal Society of Literature's historic collection, which includes pens belonging toCharles Dickens,George Eliot,T. S. EliotandLord Byron.
Zadie Smithwon theAnisfield-Wolf Book Award, theCommonwealth Writers' Best Book Award(Eurasia Section) and the Orange Prize forOn Beauty. Smith's acclaimed first novel,White Teeth(2000), was a portrait of contemporary multicultural London, drawing from her own upbringing with an English father and a Jamaican mother.White Teethwas an international best seller and won multiple accolades, including theJames Tait Black Memorial Prizefor fiction, theWhitbread Book Awardin category best first novel, theGuardian First Book Awardand theBetty Trask Award.Timemagazine included the novel in itslist of the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to 2005andthe novel was adapted for televisionin 2002.
At the 2020British Book Awards,Candice Carty-Williamsbecame the first black woman to win the "Book of the Year" accolade, for her novelQueenie.The novel, which describes the life and loves of Queenie Jenkins, a vibrant, young British-Jamaican, received positive reviews and was marketed as "a blackBridget Jones".Queenieentered theSunday TimesBestseller hardback chart at number two and went on to win numerous accolades.A TV adaptation ofQueeniehas been announced as being in development forChannel 4.
In July 2020,Linton Kwesi Johnsonreceived thePEN Pinter Prizeand was described as "a Living legend", "a poet, reggae icon, academic and campaigner, whose impact on the cultural landscape over the last half century has been colossal and multi-generational".Other notable contributors includeFerdinand Dennis,Winsome Pinnock,Victor Headley,Benjamin ZephaniahandRaymond Antrobus, who became the first poet to win theRathbones Folio Prizefor his collectionThe Perseverance.
An investigation by theIOMfound that in general Jamaicans in the UK don't have a particular preference of favourite newspaper, many choose to read local newspapers and the national British press (such asThe GuardiantheDaily MailandMetro), however the investigation also showed that some 80% of British Jamaicans show an interest in Black or ethnic minority newspapers.TheWeekly Gleanerwhich as its name suggests is a weekly publication distributed in the UK and contains specific news from theJamaica Daily Gleaner.The Voiceclosely follows in terms of readership; this weekly tabloid newspaper, based in the UK but owned by the Jamaican GV Media Group and established byVal McCalla(who was born in Jamaica), covers a variety of stories that are aimed solely at the British African-Caribbean community.Other popular newspapers and magazines aimed at the Jamaican and Black British populations in the UK in general include theNew Nation,The Big Eye News,Pride Magazine,The Caribbean Timesand formerlyBlack Voice.
Radio is the most popular form of media within the British Jamaican community: approximately 75% of Jamaicans in the UK listen to the radio on a daily basis or very often.Statisticallypirate radio stations(which are stations which have no formal licence to broadcast) are by far the most popular within the community. The same investigation as stated above showed that around one quarter of people surveyed preferred to listen to a specific pirate radio station.Most pirate stations are community based, but there are some that broadcast to the whole country, the most frequently listened to pirate stations by British Jamaicans includeVibes FM,Powerjam,Irie FMandRoots FM.Out of all legally licensed radio stations in the UK, the single most popular one prevailed asPremier Christian Radio; theBBCalso has a relatively large Jamaican listening audience. Jamaican-bornNeil Kenlockco-foundedChoice FMin London, the first successful radio station granted a licence to cater for the black community in Britain.New Style Radio 98.7FMin Birmingham are also popular within the community (both of which are Black orientated).
A wide variety of music has its origins in Jamaica and in the 1960s when the UK's Jamaican community was beginning to emerge there was one hugely popular music genre,ska.The genre which combines elements ofCaribbeanmentoandcalypsowith Americanjazzandrhythm and bluesbecame a major part of Jamaican mid-20th-century culture, and the popularity of it also became evident in the Jamaican expatriate community in the UK. Despite the presence of Jamaicans in a number of countries at that time (such as the United States), ska music only really triumphed in the UK.In 1962 there were three music labels releasing Jamaican music in the UK (Melodisc,Blue Beat RecordsandIsland Records), as more and more Jamaicans moved to the UK, the country became a more lucrative market for artists than Jamaica itself."My Boy Lollipop" byMilliewas one of the first ska records to influence the British population in general having charted at No. 2 on theUK Singles Chartin 1964.Reggaemusic is another genre that was introduced to the UK through migrating Jamaicans.
The influence of Jamaicans in the UK has had a profound effect on British music over the last 50 years. By the end of the 1960s, Jamaican culture had participated in the birth of thefirst waveUKskinheadmovement and had impacted onpunk rockin the 1970s.Significantly, this led to new genres of music coming out ofLondon,Birmingham,CoventryandBristol.
In Birmingham in the 1970s and '80s, reggae was very popular and three of the leading British reggae groups of the time hailed from the city;UB40(who have now sold over 70 million records worldwide),Musical YouthandGrammy AwardwinnersSteel Pulse.The large Jamaican population was also a massive influence on the emerging Indian genrebhangrathat grew out of the city's large South Asian community.
Off the back of punk and reggae came"Two Tone".  Often regarded as the second wave of Ska, many of the Two Tone bands had been inspired by Jamaican Ska records of the 1960s. With a faster tempo than Jamaican Ska, Two Tone "Ska" was commercially successful in the UK from 1979 until the early eighties.The Specialsfrom Coventry,The Beatfrom Birmingham,The Selectorfrom Coventry, andMadnessfrom Camden in London, are the best known examples of Two Tone bands.
In late 1970s London, a fusing of Jamaican reggae with a more British pop sensibility led to "lovers rock", a melodic but distinctively British version of reggae.
In Bristol, a decade later, sound-system culture combining with the emerging digital sampling technology led to the emergence oftrip hop.  A distinctive mixture of heavy basslines and sometimes complex arrangements and samples, trip hop was born in theSt Paul'sarea of Bristol from the likes ofSmith and Mighty,Massive AttackandPortishead.
After the first wave of house music in the early 1990s, the rhythmic influence of reggae produced the dance music genre "jungle", in which sped-up beats became popular in clubs combined with reggae sounding "dub" basslines and MC chants. This genre of music became more widely known as "drum 'n bass" by the close of the decade, with the former incarnation now being referred to as "oldschool jungle".
Other British music genres spawned through the influence of Jamaicans living in the UK aregrime,funky houseanddubstep.
The influence London-bornJulian Marleyson of legendaryBob Marleyand member of theRastafari movementis just one of the musicians who helped popularise reggae and Jamaican music in general in the UK.A number of other British Jamaican musicians specialise in reggae and traditional Jamaican music, includingGrammy Award nomineesMaxi PriestandMusical Youth.It should however be noted that although reggae music originated in Jamaica, reggae musicians and reggae-influenced musicians now belong to a variety of ethnicities and nationalities in the UK (seewhite reggaeandmixed race reggae). Second-, third- and fourth-generation British Jamaican musicians have helped bridge the gap between traditional Jamaican music and contemporary global music.The X FactorSeries 5winnerAlexandra Burkefocuses mainly on theR&B, pop,soulgenres,Chipprimarily focuses on thehip-hop,grime,R&Bandpop rapgenreswhilstGoldieis a popularelectronic music artist.This shows the diverse array of music produced by the current generation of British Jamaican musicians. Amongst some other current contemporary British musicians of Jamaican ancestry areKeisha Buchanan,Academy Award nomineeCeleste,Alesha Dixon,Jade Ewen,Jamelia,Kano,Beverley Knight,Lianne La Havas,Grammy Award nomineeMahalia,Grammy Award WinnerElla Mai,Grammy Award nomineeNao,Leigh-Anne Pinnock,Grammy Award nomineeJorja Smith,and double Grammy Award winnerCaron Wheeler.
British Jamaicans have contributed significantly to UK sporting successes.Tessa Sandersonwonjavelingold at the1984 Summer Olympicsand is the only British athlete to win an Olympic throwing event.Linford Christiewas the first man to win every major 100m title in world athletics (and to this date the only British man to have done so).Denise Lewiswonheptathlon gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics,a feat that was repeated byJessica Ennis-Hillat the2012 Summer Olympics.Kelly Holmeswas one of the success stories of the2004 Summer Olympicshaving won multiple gold medals and still holding numerous British records in distance running.Another 2004 success story wasJason GardenerandMark Lewis-Francis,who won the gold medal in the4 × 100 metres relaywithDarren CampbellandMarlon Devonish.Louis Smithwon bronze in the men'spommel horse eventat the2008 Beijing Olympics, Britain's first Olympics gymnastics medal since 1908.Other notable British athletes of Jamaican origin who have successfully competed in the Olympic Games include Olympic silver medalistColin Jackson,Olympic bronze medalistTasha Danversand the fastest woman in British history, Olympic bronze medalist,Dina Asher-Smith.
Besides athletics and gymnastics, British Jamaicans have also become heavily associated with the sport ofboxing.Frank Brunois one of the more notable individuals, he won 40 out of 45 of his contests and held the title ofWBCheavyweight championin the mid-1990s.Chris Eubankalso held world boxing titles includingmiddleweightandsuper middleweightchampion (his son,Chris Eubank Jr.is also a boxing champion).Lennox Lewisof dual British/Canadian citizenship is one of the most successful boxers in the sports history, he is one of only five boxers who have won the heavyweight championship three times.Errol Christieis also a former boxer, he is the Guinness World Record holder for achieving the most amateur title wins.At theSydney Olympics of 2000,Audley Harrisonbecame Britain's firstheavyweightgold medalist.In more recent timesDavid Hayehas become the new face of British Jamaican boxing, Haye has won numerous titles and in 2009 beatNikolai Valuevto become the WBA Heavyweight Champion (the fifth Briton to do so, and the third British Jamaican – the other two beingBritons of Nigerian origin).Dillian Whyte, another well established British boxer who was born in Jamaica, has held theWBCinterimheavyweighttitle since March 2021.
Clive Sullivanwas the first black captain for a Great British team, inanysport, and captained theGreat Britain teamto victory in the1972 Rugby League World Cup.Jason Robinsonwas the first black player to captain theEngland national rugby unionteam and was part of the2003 Rugby World Cupvictory.Ellery Hanleybecame the first man to captain his side to three consecutiveChallenge Cupvictories.He is the only player to win the covetedMan of Steel awardon three occasions and is widely considered to be one of the greatest players in rugby league history.Other notable rugby players of Jamaican heritage includeJimmy Peters, who wasEngland'sfirst blackrugby unioninternational,Des DrummondandJeremy Guscott.
John Barnesis the most capped English Jamaican to have played for theEngland national football team, and a number of the current national team players have origins in Jamaica, includingDarren Bent,Aaron Lennon,Raheem Sterling,Theo Walcott,Daniel Sturridge,Kyle Walker,Danny Rose,Ashley YoungandAlex Oxlade-Chamberlain.In turn,Nottinghamborn and raisedWes Morganchose to represent theJamaica national football teamwhich he captained.In 2021 alone in the Jamaican squad there were 11 British born and raised players:Amari'i Bell,Liam Moore,Ethan Pinnock,Wes Harding,Michael Hector,Adrian Mariappa,Kasey Palmer,Andre Gray,Jamal Lowe,Greg Leigh, andBobby Decordova-Reid.
There have been a number of British Jamaicanwrestlersandweightlifterswho have made their mark on the sport. Hailed as Britain's greatest-ever weightlifter,Louis Martinwon Olympic medals in weightlifting atRome 1960andTokyo 1964and claimed fourWorld Championship titles, threeCommonwealth goldsand set two official world records.Ralph Rowe was Britain's first blackParalympianand wonweightlifting gold at the Heidelberg 1972 Games.Fitz Lloyd Walkerwas the first black wrestler to represent Great Britain at the Olympic Games and achieved a bronze medal forEnglandat the1986 Commonwealth Games. Walker is in theGuinness Book of World Recordsfor winning the British Wrestling Championships 14 years in a row.
Crickethas long been a popular pastime among British Jamaicans (though interest has waned since the 1980s). Several British Jamaican cricketers have representedEngland, making some pivotal contributions to the side.Norman Cowanswas the first West Indies-born fast bowler to playTest cricketfor England and was instrumental in England's victory at theMCGin 1982. Cowans took a match-winning 6 for 77, following his first innings 2 for 69, in England's dramatic 3 run victory. This victory sentThe Ashesseries toSydneyfor the deciding Fifth Test, which ended in a draw.Devon Malcomplayed in 40Test matchesfor England and took part in 30One Day Internationals. Onthe West Indies tourin 1989/90, Malcolm made a major impact and excelled as England won the First Test. He then took ten wickets in the Second Test and was named man of the match in the Third Test.AtThe Oval, againstSouth Africa, Malcolm would go on to record figures of 9/57- propelling England to a series-levelling eight-wicket victory in August 1994. It remains one of the best bowling figures in Test cricket history.Ebony Rainford-Brentwas the first black woman to play forEnglandand was a member of the England team that won the 2009Women's Cricket World Cupin Australia and the2009 Women's World Twenty20.Mark Butcher,David LawrenceandDean Headleyall represented England, making contributions to the side.
An investigation by the IOM in 2007 found that 67% of British Jamaican respondents reported watching television on a daily basis, 10% had no particular preference as to what channels they watched.31% of respondents claim-ed to favour the original terrestrial commercial channels such asITV1,Channel 4andFive, whilst 23% of people stated a preference to satellite and cable channels such asMTV Base, theHallmark ChannelandLiving.There are a number of TV channels in the UK aimed at the Black British community, however none specifically at the British Jamaican community. The same IOM investigation found that minimal numbers of British Jamaicans actually watch these black-orientated channels, this is thought to be down to a heavy focus on Black African culture and issues (as opposed to Afro-Caribbean).In terms of actual members of the British Jamaican community, a number of individuals have found fame in television and film in the UK. One of the biggest British Jamaican television personalities isAinsley Harriott, who has appeared in several shows includingReady Steady Cook,Can't Cook, Won't Cook,City Hospital,Red DwarfandStrictly Come Dancing. In September 2008, Harriott explored his Jamaican heritage, taking part in the genealogy documentary series,Who Do You Think You Are?Lenny Henryis another prominent name, co-founding the charityComic Reliefand appearing in TV programmes such asBroadchurchandDr Who. Long-running Britishsoap operassuch asEastEnders,Coronation StreetandEmmerdalehave all had British Jamaican actors includingZaraah Abrahams,Tameka Empson,Angela Wynter,Stephen Grahamand Jurrell Carter.  Away from soap operas, other notable actors includeMalachi Kirby, who earned aBAFTAfor his role inSteve McQueen'shighly acclaimedSmall Axe,Michael Wardwho won the2019 BAFTA Rising Star Award,Colin SalmonandAshley Walters, whose role inBullet Boyearned him aBritish Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Performance.
Numerous British Jamaican actors have become successful in US film and television.Antonia Thomasis famed for her role asDr. Claire Brownein the award-winning drama seriesThe Good Doctor.Manchester-bornMarsha Thomasonis noted for her roles in the US showsLas VegasandLost,whilstOxfordshire-bornWentworth MillerofPrison Breakfame is also of partial Jamaican descent.Miller earned aGolden Globe Award nominationfor hisPrison Breakroleand won aSaturn Awardfor his guest appearance in the critically acclaimedThe Flash.Stephen Grahamfeatured in threeMartin Scorseseproductions and won twoScreen Actors Guild Awardsas part of the cast of the much laudedBoardwalk Empire.Delroy Lindoearned aSatellite Awardfor his role in Americandocudramatelevision filmGlory & Honor. Lindo also won numerous accolades for his role as Paul, inSpike Lee'shighly praisedDa 5 Bloods.Some British Jamaicans who have starred in Hollywood blockbusters includeNaomie HarrisinMiami ViceandPirates of the Caribbean.She also starred in the critically acclaimed filmMoonlight, a performance that earned her a number of accolades, including nominations for theGolden Globe,BAFTA, andAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actress.Adrian Lesterappeared inThe Day After Tomorrowand the political blockbusterPrimary Colors, directed byMike Nichollsand co-starringJohn Travolta,Kathy Bates,Billy Bob ThorntonandEmma Thompson. The role earned Lester aChicago Film Critics Associationaward nomination for "Most Promising Actor".Lashana Lynchfeatured oppositeBrie Larsonin 2019'sCaptain Marveland played the role of Nomi, the secret agent who replacesCraig'sretiredBondinNo Time to Die. Lynch won a BAFTA for her role inNo Time to Die, thanking her Jamaican parents while accepting the award.TheJames Bond seriesand Jamaica are inextricably linked. British authorIan Fleming, creator of the super spy, resided atGoldenEyefor many years, where he wrote all his James Bond novels. The first Bond filmDr No(1962), andLive And Let Die(1973)were both shot mainly inKingston, Jamaica.
See Main article:List of Jamaican British people
Notable trailblazers: