Marking the 75th anniversary of Windrush Day

Published: 22/06/2023

Today marks the 75th anniversary of the day Her Majesty’s Troopship (HMT) the Empire Windrush arrived in Britain carrying hundreds of passengers from the Caribbean. These people, alongside those from other parts of the Commonwealth, came to the UK to help rebuild Britain post-war and have since contributed immensely to Britain as we know it today.

The Empire Windrush ship arriving in the UK with Caribbean migrants onboard — The Empire Windrush carried the first Caribbean migrants to the UK to help re-build Britain after the Second World War

How is NTU marking Windrush Day?

This year our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) team has curated an online exhibition called ‘Windrush 75’ to celebrate the 75th milestone of Windrush.

The exhibition features fascinating personal artwork along with videos and written experiences contributed by NTU students and staff in which they share their connections with Windrush and the impact of recognising Windrush Day nationally.

Explore the Windrush 75: online exhibition

While today is a day of celebration, it’s also an opportunity to reflect on the difficulties faced by the Windrush Generation – past and present.

We’re extremely grateful for contributions made to the online exhibition from:

Chloe Lovett – final year student, BA (Hons) Fine Art
Ana Souto Galvan – Director of Doctoral Programmes, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment (ADBE)
Andrew Langley – PhD student, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment (ADBE)
Jaz Rodney-Bartlette – Industry Skills Consultant, CADQ
Clive Foster – Executive Dean of EDI and Multi-Faith Manager

If you’d like to make a contribution to the Windrush 75: online exhibition please email the EDI team.

On Thursday 8 June, as part of our Great Minds series we also invited NTU students and colleagues to join renowned historian and author, Colin Grant, in celebrating the contribution to the UK of the Windrush Generation and their descendants.

What’s happening in the wider community?

There are a number of community events and activities taking place across Nottingham to mark the 75th anniversary of Windrush Day including commemoration services, a light up of Nottingham Council House, music and entertainment.

We hope you get the opportunity to engage with some of the events and activities as part of our commitment to mark black history all year round.