Windrush
Following the end of the Second World War, Britain struggled to rebuild as while there were soldiers who returned home, there were some that were killed in action or disabled due to combat and not only that but there were many area that had to be rebuilt due to the bombings that happened during the war. So to get help, Britain sent ads out to those in the Caribbean to encourage them to come over for a vacation and even get jobs. The Caribbean is a region in the Americas that is situated in the Caribbean Sea and is surrounded by islands and coastal parts of the Central and South American continents. Intrigued and excited to explore Britain, 492 people from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago (where rapper Nicki Minaj is from), Barbados and other Caribbean islands got on a boat called the MV Empire Windrush after paying a £28 fare which docked at Tilbury Docks in Essex, England on 22 June 1948 and were greeted with racism, violence and employment related discrimination who wanted to "keep Britain white". Just imagine that, being brought over to what was then nicknamed the Mother Country and expected to be welcomed only to be shut out for having a different skin colour? It's not nice. Despite that, the Caribbean people banded together to build their own communities in Britain. They and their families joined them after they were able to afford to send them over. Many more Caribbean people arrived in Britain over the years and with their help, Britain was able to rebuild their economy and their country. Some of the Caribbean's' first careers post immigration were with the NHS (National Health Service) and London Transport. The impact left by the Windrush Generation is unmeasurable! Their help in making Caribbean culture acceptable in Britain has paved the way for so many others!
Despite the controversy regarding their citizenship status in recent years, the Windrush generation were honoured at the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony where a model of the Windrush was paraded in front of loads of people in the stadium, on television and internet. Windrush Day is on 22 June, the day that the MV Windrush arrived in Britain with the first of the Windrush generation.