Talk:Windrush Day

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UK gov didn't encourage Caribbean passengers to move to the UK[edit]

This article misleads readers into thinking that the British government encouraged people from the Caribbean to board the HMT Empire Windrush because it was keen recruit them. However, the UK gov was unaware that tickets had been sold to Caribbeans and were displeased at their arrival. Jim 2 Michael (talk) 13:56, 22 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]

That is excellent info, @Jim 2 Michael! Can you provide a source for that so I can add it to the article, please and thank you? Whilst everyone seems to have an opinion on the number of emigrants, I find bupkis about the motivations at the other end of the voyage. I’ve got two rather vague mentions of adverts from the Windrush's operators used to fill the ship, but nothing about whether the there was some sort of ministerial push to find workers. It makes more sense, to me at least, that the post-war situation in Britain left an economic vacuum that drew un/underemployed folks from the former colonies without inducements, but it would really help the article to know for certain. Cheers, Last1in (talk) 15:33, 3 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Rewrite of Lede (Lead)[edit]

As written today, the lede does not adequately capture the nature of the article's subject. I propose a rewrite as follows. I am not a contributor to this page, so I'm posting it here for objections and improvements. I will not update the article until after 01 July 2023 to give time for comment and rewriting. Here is my lede proposal:

Windrush Day is a commemoration in the United Kingdom held on 22 June to honour the contributions of migrants to the post-war economy. Specifically, it celebrates Afro-Caribbeans who began arriving on the HMT Empire Windrush in 1948.[1] Later known as the "Windrush generation", these economic migrants were an important part of the UK's recovery from the privations of World War II. Windrush Day is not a bank holiday but has grown in popularity since a campaign by Patrick Vernon led to its introduction in 2018.[2]

[1]: <ref name="A fitting way">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2010/jan/25/bank-holiday-celebrate-windrush-generation|title= Windrush Day: a fitting way to celebrate our immigrant population|first=Patrick|last=Vernon|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=25 January 2010|access-date=25 June 2023}}</ref>

[2]: <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/may/09/windrush-shaped-britain-70-years-immigration-national-holiday|title=The Windrush shaped Britain. Why not recognise that?|first=Patrick|last=Vernon|newspaper=The Guardian|date=9 May 2018|access-date=25 June 2023}}</ref>

There is also a lot of variation in the sources about the actual number of migrants on the Empire Windrush that day. I think that should be expressed in the first paragraph of the body. Also, the "Windrush generation" is composed of far more than the 492/802/1027 people who arrived in Essex that June day, and the economic situation they helped solve could be better explained. I am making several changes there in WP:BOLD mode, but am hesitant to alter the lede without consensus.

Provide constructive criticism below, please and thank you. Cheers, Last1in (talk) 21:04, 25 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]