British African-Caribbean people

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The British Afro-Caribbean community is a term which refers to residents of the United Kingdom who are of West Indian descent or background, and whose ancestors usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. The largest proportion of the African-Caribbean population in the UK are of Jamaican origin, others trace origins to smaller island nations including Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Barbados, Saint Lucia, Grenada, Montserrat, Dominica and Antigua.

Afro-Caribbeans (or African-Caribbeans) are primarily the descendants of West Africans captured or obtained in trade from African procurers. They were then shipped by European slave traders to the West Indies to English, French, Dutch, Spanish, and Portuguese colonies founded from the 16th century. Since World War II many African-Caribbeans migrated to North America and to Europe, especially to the USA, the UK, and the Netherlands.

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 significant numbers of Poles and Italians from Europe. However, to provide the numbers required, the government turned to the countries of the empire and commonwealth. 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.

British African-Caribbean culture

African-Caribbean communities organise and participate in carnivals throughout the UK. The best known of these is the annual Notting Hill Carnival, now a multi-cultural experience, attracting 1.5 million people from Britain and around the world, making it the largest street festival in Europe.

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.

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