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The British Afro-Caribbean community is a major ethnic group in the United Kingdom. The term "Afro-Caribbean" is a simplification, in that the community amalgamates immigrants from a large number of Caribbean nations. On the one hand, many are of Jamaican origin, and on the other hand, many originate from a large number of smaller nations (for instance Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Barbados, Saint Lucia, Grenada, Montserrat, Dominica and Antigua).

Afro-Caribbean women are succeeding relatively well in terms of employment and earnings. On the basis of these two factors, the community compares favourably to other immigrant groups in the UK.

Culturally the community is best known for the annual Notting Hill Carnival, now a true multi-cultural experience, attracting 1.5 million people from Britain and around the world, making it the largest street festival in Europe.

History

As a result of the losses during World War II, the British government began encouraging mass immigration for the first time in order to fill shortages in the labour market.

This included Poles and Italians from Europe, however to provide the numbers required the government turned to the countries of the empire and commonwealth countries. Many West Indians were attracted by better prospects in the "mother country".

The ship Empire Windrush brought the first group of several hundred immigrants to Tilbury near London on June 22, 1948. Many only intended to stay for a few years. A number returned to rejoin the RAF.

While there was plenty of work in the UK, housing was in short supply following the wartime bombing, and the shortage led to some of the first clashes with the established white community. Clashes continued and worsened into the 1950s, and there were riots in cities including London, Birmingham and Nottingham. As tensions rose, political pressure caused successive governments to restrict immigration, until by 1972 only holders of work permits, or people with parents or grandparents born in the UK could gain entry - effectively stemming most black immigration.

See also

• Black British
• Sus law
• UK topics
  • Immigration to the United Kingdom
  • Ethnic minorities and the National Identity Card
• Afro-Caribbean newspapers
  • New Nation
  • The Voice (newspaper)

• Ethnic groups in the United Kingdom
• Immigration to the United Kingdom