They Called Me N****r”: The Historical Roots of Literary Protest by Caribbean Immigrants in Britain

Professor Verene A Shepherd

Windrush Day, officially recognised by the UK government since 2018, is commemorated annually on 22 June to mark the arrival of the SS Empire Windrush in 1948. This date has become a powerful symbol of the Caribbean community’s establishment in the UK.

Established in 2020, Serendipity’s Annual Windrush Day Lecture addresses the ongoing need for deep reflection and contextualisation against the backdrop of significant contemporary issues, including Black Lives Matter, Brexit, the Windrush Scandal, and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black communities. The lecture creates a platform for esteemed thinkers, writers and educators to amplify the narrative of Black presence, persistence and resistance in the UK whilst unpacking the complex realities of British-Caribbean connections.

Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage is proud to welcome Professor Verene A Shepherd, a distinguished historian, professor of social history at the University of the West Indies, and one of the Caribbean’s leading advocates for non-discrimination, gender justice and racial equality. Shepherd is Chair of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and one of the leading voices calling for restorative justice for the Caribbean.

Inspired by Una Marson’s poem of the same name, Shepherd’s talk “They Called Me N****r”: The Historical Roots of Literary Protest by Caribbean Immigrants in Britain” will reflect on the historic legacy of defiance, alongside an examination of recent reports into the Windrush scandal.

Join us for an evening of thought-provoking discourse led by one of the Caribbean’s most renowned voices.