Windrush Stories

Dr Michael McMillan is a playwright, mixed-media artist, curator, and educator, arguably best known for his installation, The West Indian Front Room now housed at Hoxton’s Museum of the Home. Dr McMillan has had many works produced by the Royal Court Theatre, Channel 4, and BBC Radio 4. His parents came to the UK from St Vincent & the Grenadines in 1959. Windrush Stories: Hackney Edition was produced by DJ Flight for Prison Radio Association. It’s part of the Hackney Windrush Public Programme, curated by Create London in partnership with Hackney Council and supported by Freelands Foundation. Visit our website windrushstories.com for more episodes and resources for schools at key-stage 1-3.

Michelle Dornelly is a life-long Hackney resident of St Lucian and Jamaican descent. She's a community organiser who founded the Children With Voices charity and numerous community food hubs across the borough to provide vulnerable people with food packages, seasonal gifts, and general support during the COVID-19 pandemic. https://childrenwithvoices.wixsite.com/london Windrush Stories: Hackney Edition was produced by DJ Flight for Prison Radio Association. It’s part of the Hackney Windrush Public Programme, curated by Create London in partnership with Hackney Council and supported by Freelands Foundation. Visit our website windrushstories.com for more episodes and resources for schools at key-stage 1-3.

Mr Gee is a poet and veteran of the UK spoken word scene. He's a writer, broadcaster, actor, and advisor; Gee has also worked extensively within the criminal justice system and is a Shoreditch local, currently leading Rich Mix’s New Creatives project. His mother moved to London from Guyana in the 1960s. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3kKeWMpksOdvB3bFA4jPog Windrush Stories: Hackney Edition was produced by DJ Flight for Prison Radio Association. It’s part of the Hackney Windrush Public Programme, curated by Create London in partnership with Hackney Council and supported by Freelands Foundation. Visit our website windrushstories.com for more episodes and resources for schools at key-stage 1-3.

Cleveland Watkiss MBE was born in Clapton, 1959 to Jamaican parents. He is an award-winning vocalist, composer, actor, and voice professor at Trinity Laban Conservatoire, who co-founded the Jazz Warriors, and hosted the seminal Metalheadz Sunday Sessions, at Blue Note, Hoxton Square. https://www.clevelandwatkiss.co.uk/   Windrush Stories: Hackney Edition was produced by DJ Flight for Prison Radio Association. It’s part of the Hackney Windrush Public Programme, curated by Create London in partnership with Hackney Council and supported by Freelands Foundation. Visit our website windrushstories.com for more episodes and resources for schools at key-stage 1-3.

Dawn Butler MP is the Member of Parliament for Brent Central. Campaigner, activist, daughter of Windrush, she was the first elected African-Caribbean woman to become a UK government minister. In 2020 she was voted one of Vogue's 25 most influential women, and recently honoured with a blue plaque at the former site of her parents' 'Butlers Bakery', to commemorate being chosen as 'Waltham Forest's local hero'.

Nia Archives was born and raised in Bradford and Leeds. She's a third-generation Windrush descendant and a rising star of UK dance music, working as a producer, singer-songwriter, DJ and visual artist. Nia is part of a new wave of young talent celebrating and paying homage to sound system heritage and culture.

Marc Mac (4hero) is one of dance music’s most influential artists. A pioneer of breakbeat hardcore, jungle D&B, broken beat, nu jazz; one half of award-winning duo, 4hero; instrumental in Goldie’s breakthrough; and co-founder of Reinforced Records – regarded as one of underground music’s blueprint labels.

Dr. Kristy Holder is a third-generation Windrush descendant of Trinidadian, Jamaican and Welsh heritage. She was born in Northampton, England, and grew up in Clydach, Wales. Dr. Holder manages the Windrush Evolving Heritage Project at Swansea’s African Community Centre, and recently completed a PhD in Reconstructing Climate Change. https://africancommunitycentre.org.uk/projects/windrush-evolving-heritage/

Audley Morais Forrester MBE served 2 years in the Jamaican Army and trained as a salesman, before leaving for England in 1955, still a teen. A coal miner for 5 years, he then spent 37 developing South Yorkshire’s public transport services – for which he was awarded an MBE in 1997.

Norma Gregory is a historian, curator, heritage consultant, author, and founder of community media organisation Nottingham News Centre and the Black Miners Museum Project – unearthing the stories of Black African and African Caribbean coal miners across the UK. https://normagregory.com/

Ace Ruele Aristotles is motion capture and creature actor born in late ‘80s London. Following a prison sentence, Ace found himself caught in a legal battle with the Home Office, who tried to deport him to Jamaica due to his mother not having British citizenship at the time of his birth. Here's his story... https://aceruele.com/

Angie Le Mar was born in Lewisham, south London, to Jamaican parents. She's a pioneer in the entertainment industry, with over 35 years in showbusiness. The Queen of Black Comedy, Angie is a producer, actor, comic, writer, TV and radio presenter, author, laughter therapy coach and founder of We Walk Wednesdays. https://wewalkwednesdays.com

Throughout Black History Month, presenter DJ Flight returns with a brand new series of Windrush Stories, featuring interviews with people whose families made the move from the Caribbean to the UK.

Diane Abbott was born in London to Jamaican parents. In 1987 she made history, becoming the first Black woman to be elected to parliament in Britain. She served as Shadow Home Secretary and is the longest-serving Black MP in the history of the House of Commons.

Nadine White is a third-generation Windrush descendant from London, England. A journalist and news reporter, she currently publishes via HuffPost UK and previously at The Voice newspaper with a focus on current affairs, race and social justice. https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/nadine-white/2/

Mr. Wright was born in St Catherine, Jamaica to presenter DJ Flight's grandmother, Muriel Martin, who left of the the UK in the late 1950s to work as an NHS nurse. He was brought up by his grandmother for nine years before joining Muriel aged 14, in 1967. He has worked various jobs and has four wonderful children.

Dr. Vanley Burke was born near St Thomas in Jamaica. He joined his parents in Birmingham, England aged 14 and began documenting local Caribbean communities through his photography. The 'Godfather of Black British Photography' is also an archivist, with a vast collection housed at the Library of Birmingham and his own flat. http://www.vanley.co.uk

Matthew Phillip is the Trinidadian-Irish heritage Executive Director of the Notting Hill Carnival. From London, England, Matthew has had a life-long involvement with Carnival, from attending as a child to playing pan in Steel Bands, and working on various NHC boards and projects.  

Marjorie H Morgan was born in Wiltshire, England to Jamaican parents. She is a writer, playwright and journalist with a special interest in cultural and social politics. She is currently based in Liverpool, England, where she is Artist in Residence at Metal Culture Liverpool. https://www.marjoriemorgan.com

Lloyd Bradley was born in London, England to St Kittitian academic parents. He's a journalist and writer, and one of the UK's foremost experts on Black music and culture. He authored best-sellers Bass Culture: When Reggae was King; Sounds Like London: 100 Years of Black Music in the Capital; Ian Wright: A Life in Football; Marcia Barrett's Forward and many other titles. https://www.lloydbradley.net

Jamz Supernova is a DJ and broadcaster from London. She's of Jamaican-Cuban-Irish heritage. Jamz is known for her popular BBC Radio 1Xtra and British Council radio shows, her Future Bounce record label and nights, and for her passion for supporting alternative Black music styles. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05tqk1x

Sister Ina Spence was born in Trelawny, Jamaica. She moved to Manchester, England in her late teens and worked as a nurse and senior midwife for over 40 years, delivering hundreds of babies. Sister Spence was recorded by Rachel Ross, one of the mothers she took wonderful care of, during her career.

Cecil Wright was born in 1933 in St Elizabeth, Jamaica. Known as Cec, he was a fast bowling cricketer who played for the national team and also for clubs across the Lancashire leagues, starting with Crompton, after moving to the UK in 1959. Cec retired in 2019 aged 85, after 60 years of playing. His final club was Uppermill In this recording he is interviewed by his daughter, Cecile https://www.wisden.com/stories/your-game/club-cricket/cecil-wright-jamaica

Brendon Batson OBE was born in St George's, Grenada. He moved to Tilbury in England in 1962. A former footballer for Arsenal, Cambridge United and West Bromwich Albion, he was part of the pioneering trio nicknamed Three Degrees alongside Cyrille Regis and Laurie Cunningham. Brendon Batson is a trustee of the Professional Footballers Association, which is first joined in 1984. https://www.thepfa.com/news/2018/9/11/life-of-brendon-batson

Blacker Dread was a member of the legendary Coxsone soundsystem, as well as being a music producer, record shop owner and co-founder of Splash. This exclusive interview was recorded in Brixton, South London following Blacker's release from prison, where he hosted National Prison Radio's weekly reggae show, Bob and Beyond.  

Professor Benjamin Zephaniah was born and raised in Birmingham, England, the son of a Jamaican nurse and Bajan postal worker. He is a poet, novelist, lecturer, activist, musician, TV and radio presenter. https://benjaminzephaniah.com

Coming Soon: Windrush Stories