Roots of the Windrush scandal go much further back than we think

How working with a local community project forced Tre Ventour to rethink the Windrush scandal

By Tre Ventour

Tre Ventour and Shereen Ingram

When NorFAMtoN CEO Shereen Ingram asked me to join her project to help members of Northampton’s Windrush Generation, I jumped at the opportunity without a second thought. It was a chance for me to give back to the people that raised me. 

I firmly believe that the village raises the child and for me, that village was Northampton’s Caribbean communities. Thinking about my childhood I recall places like the former-West Indian club on Claire Street or watching men like my grandfather play steelpan across Northampton, including Monks Park Working Men’s Club on the Wellingborough Road. Communities coming together over the melodies and dulcet tones of my countrypeople.  

Steel drums finds its history in the oil industry of Caribbean, wrought in the violence of White corporations and Black labour of the 20th century. However, what came out of that in this music is beautiful. 

Before this project, I never really felt connected to those islands in the…