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Our Windrush: Jessica Harewood at DIO

Global Ethnic Majority

Our Windrush: Jessica Harewood

For me, Windrush is identity, its being part of a cultural shift in Britain that has forever changed the face of our country. Growing up mixed Black/Bajan and White Irish/British id never thought about how my grandparents were part of that shift in British culture. I’d never given much thought to the experiences they must have had, the struggles they faced in raising my father and his siblings in Britain in the 60’s and 70’s, leaving everything and everyone they knew behind for a chance of making a better life and not always finding this new life welcoming. In the face of all that though, they held onto so much of what made them Bajan and passed that down to us, one example being through food. Having a Bajan grandma meant always seeing a big pot of some stew/curry on the stove, some delicious smell coming from the kitchen and it meant always being ready to eat that food, whether you were hungry or not! Food in a Caribbean household isn’t just cultural, its emotional, it’s how we show our loved ones we care, there’s no such thing as a quick Caribbean Dish, every meal is a labour of love. My grandma always showed her love through her food, she could feed the whole street and often times she did. From my dad in the 70’s, when his friends would come by after school and eat at his house (despite being told to stop filling up at the Harewood’s) to my childhood friends in the 00’s always showing up after id been to visit my grandma, knowing there would be a fridge full of ‘leftovers’. To this day watching people try Caribbean food for the first time is a site to behold! And I never tire of it, the sheer shock at the flavour is priceless and it feels me with pride to share the experience with people.

Even now 3 generations removed from Windrush, my children and I still follow these traditions of hospitality and food for the soul.

David Harewood MBE

Jessica Harewood

By Jessica Harewood

 

 

 

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