The news that the United Kingdom government will accord justice to the Windrush generation through an established fund has been met with cautious optimism in some quarters.
Last week the Home Secretary in the UK announced £1.5 million fund is to be set aside for victims of the Windrush scandal who will now be be better supported to apply for compensation.
The Windrush scandal concerned people who were wrongly detained, denied legal rights, threatened with deportation, and in at least 83 cases wrongly deported from the UK back in 2018.
The extra support is part of a “fundamental reset” to the Windrush generation, and are part of the first steps the new government says it is taking to ensure justice is finally delivered for victims of the Windrush scandal, according to the British Home secretary
Emerita Professor of History & Gender Studies at The University of the West Indies and Consultant Director of the Centre for Reparation Research Professor Verene Shepherd, has however opted to take the wait and see approach.
"This is Black history month in the UK and the news that there will be extra steps taken to bring justice to the Windrush generation is really good news, We will really have to watch and see if promises will be fulfilled"
Windrush generation got its name from the HMT Empire Windrush which brought one of the first large groups of post-war West Indian immigrants to the United Kingdom.
Professor Shepherd who is also the UWI, and Vice-Chair of the CARICOM Reparations Commission pointed out that "It has been 76 years since HMT Empire Windrush arrived at the Tllbury docks bringing those who answered the call to help rebuild the so called mother country"
The HMT Empire Windrush carried 1029 passengers including 539 Jamaicans on a voyage from Jamaica to London in 1948.
The Windrush's arrival became symbolic of the generation of Commonwealth citizens who came to live in Britain between 1948 and 1971.
"Let us watch to see if justice will really be done this time around, It is a painful history and Britain must live up to its responsibility" said Professor Shepherd
"Too much pain and suffering has been visited upon people who thought they really would be looked after.so many were deported, so many have suffered, its time for justice, lets watch for further developments" Professor Shepherd concluded.
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