Royals thank Caribbean migrants for contribution to the UK
Associated PressLONDON — Queen Elizabeth II and her grandson Prince William paid tribute Wednesday to Britain’s Caribbean immigrants for their “profound contribution” to the U.K., as a national monument was unveiled in London to celebrate the migrants’ work to help rebuild Britain after World War II. William referred to a British government scandal that “profoundly wronged” tens of thousands who travelled to Britain between 1948 and 1973 after the government called on colonies to send workers amid post-war labor shortages. In a written message, signed Elizabeth R., the queen said the new statue was a “fitting thank you to the Windrush pioneers and their descendants, in recognition of the profound contribution they have made to the United Kingdom over the decades.” Next year marks 75 years since the arrival of the Empire Windrush in Essex, near London, bringing workers and children from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and other islands. Britain’s government, which provided 1 million pounds to fund the statue in Waterloo station, said the monument is meant to be a “permanent place of reflection.” It “symbolizes the courage, commitment and resilience of the thousands of men, women and children who travelled to the U.K. to start new lives from 1948 to 1971,” the government said.
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Britain marks the Windrush anniversary with the story of its Caribbean community still being written
The Independent
Royals thank Caribbean migrants for contribution to the UK
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