If you have ever wondered at the racial and ethnic diversity you encounter on the streets of London or any of the larger cities in the UK today, this book will give you an insight as to how and why this phenomenon occurred. What was life like for these people in their original homeland? What was the call of Britain to them? Why has Britain become their home? And introspectively, did the British not spread themselves across the globe so that one once claimed: ‘The sun never sets on the British Empire?’
Was the Britain of the 1950s a truly welcoming place for ‘Windrush’ emigrants? The fact that most of them stayed on to make their lives here is testimony to their resilience rather than the influence of an accepting attitude from the host nation. The Transport, Health and Construction industries certainly needed their manpower, but the influx of a non-white contingent of job seekers seemed to threaten the livelihood of the local working-class population. Racial prejudice reared its ugly head from time to time, and conflict resolution became a necessary tool in the building of harmonious relationships. This resulted in a changing attitude which enabled the formation of today’s modern, multicultural Britain.
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