Woodcraft Folk, Racism and the Windrush Legacy

‘What was it like on the boat?’

‘I didn’t come over in the boat, not everyone did’

HMT Empire Windrush has acted as a symbol for a generation and at times detracted from the sad, ongoing stories of racism below the waves.  Mrs. McGhie-Belgrave MBE met members of Woodcraft Folk to share her lived experience of ‘The Windrush Generation’

Before race riots flared around her in the 1980s, she was already working tirelessly to support people in Handsworth.  ‘Shades of Black’, the organisation she founded, brought reconciliation and helped rebuild communities after the Handsworth riots.

When she arrived in the UK in 1957 she worked in the mental health sector; over the years she’s worked across social and probation services, running community projects. From teaching, sewing to community banking, all build bridges and communities and overcoming loneliness.

“If you can help, simply help a person in a very small way, you will be surprised how they take it and remember it for the rest of their lives.”

Woodcraft Folk Challenging Racism

Her words echoed Woodcraft values as we sat in a circle, every person equal, every voice heard, ‘spanning the world with Friendship’.  More than that, she saw a problem and acted, taking peaceful and direct action.  Woodcraft also has a history tackling issues of racism, be it challenging facism in the 1930s, ‘Kindertransport’ during World War 2, or championing ‘multi-culturalism’, highlighting overt and covert racism in education and throughout the 1960s, 70s, 80s and right into the 21st Century, all explored with our members as part of 100 Objects spanning 100 Years

Mrs. McGhie-Belgrave’s early life

Born in the Parish of St James Maldon District in Jamaica in 1934, Mrs. McGhie-Belgrave recalls her upbringing:

“We had our own plot, that’s what we had to give us cash to buy the things we wanted, so we had to do our own cultivation. We had the land. We were quite lucky because grandma was a white woman, she was married to an African. So, I lived racism in Jamaica before I came here.”

Leah Finlayson (Mrs. McGhie’s grandmother) was the daughter of white plantation owner, working as a local midwife after her parents disowned her for marrying a black man. Mrs McGhie-Belgrave has been dealing with racism and working with people to challenge it throughout her life.

‘If you do not have these conversations, it’s not going away. It’s just bubbling underneath. In 1957 I went shopping and tried to purchase a tin of beans. The shopkeeper replied, “So you can speak English, can you?” and placed my change on the counter rather than in the palm of my hands. I left it where it was and returned three days later to receive my change in the palm of my hands. In that moment, without any argument, lives were changed. Especially for Black people, racism then was rife.’

Mrs. McGhie-Belgrave, now aged 90, describes her life as a lucky one, mainly because of the opportunities she has had for learning and serving. A role model for all, her visit to our Woodcraft Folk group was inspiring and will spark action, raise awareness and challenge racism long after Windrush day.

‘If you are able to help, do.’