Black History Month — The Windrush Effect through the eyes of a second generation granddaughter

In celebration of Black History Month, I’ve been asked to share my story. Not necessarily ‘on brand’ for a very Tech, Strategy, Startup related space but, no less important. For complete transparency, previously I’ve never been that enthused about Black History Month. At times, it’s felt reductive given the extensive contributions Black people have made worldwide, from inventors to public figures. Also, performative, it’s like the ‘black square’ moment in the year…where companies known for their poor consciously inclusive efforts, put on a few events, whilst their Black employees, or lack thereof, struggle with frequent micro-aggressions or out of our 100,000 traditional red letterboxes nationwide, 4 of them get painted black out of ‘solidarity’. However, being proud of my culture and history makes me participate in Black History Month to educate others, amplify our history and contributions, without the frequent, and convenient rewritings to make them more palatable, or on the other scale, less powerful to the masses. I’m pleased to work with a business that is genuinely investing in their diversity initiatives and are leaning into the difficult conversations many shy away from.

I was born in West London, and have a strong and proud Caribbean heritage. My maternal grandparents are of…