Windrush Women: gal-dem to curate exhibition as part of 70th anniversary celebrations

The entrance to City Hall will be home to an exhibition celebrating women of the Windrush generation this weekend.

Windrush Women is curated by gal-dem, a magazine for women and non-binary people of colour, and features illustrations of pioneering Caribbean women by artist Laura Elise Wright.

It is part of celebrations happening across the capital this weekend to mark the 70th anniversary of the Windrush migration to London.

Diana Abbott and Doreen Lawrence are amongst those featured in the exhibition, alongside activist Marcia Rigg, teacher and writer Akua Rugg and former Black Panther member Barbara Beese.

​Liv Little, founder of gal-dem, described 2018 as “an important, pivotal moment in British history.”

“I am thrilled that gal-dem has been able to work with some fantastic women in order to spotlight those who have paved the way for us to be where we are today,” she said.

The exhibition is part of a day of events taking place at City Hall on June 30 to mark the anniversary. The Mayor of London said the events would show that “in London we don’t simply tolerate each other’s differences, we celebrate them.”

“The recent Windrush scandal has shone a light on an immigration system that is simply unfit for purpose and it was appalling to learn earlier this year that members of the Windrush generation were wrongly deported. I will continue to call on the Government for answers and to right the wrongs and distress they have caused,” he added.

Throughout the day, Afua Hirsch, Kwame Kwei-Armah, Sharmaine Lovegrove and Jennette Arnold will take part in panel discussions and talks, and there will be performances from Talawa Theatre, Britain’s primary Black-led theatre company. Publisher Penguin will take over the top floor for readings, with Nikesh Shukla and Linton Kwesi Johnson amongst the line-up.

Arrival: celebrating Windrush takes place at City Hall on June 30, all events are free. More info can be found at london.gov.uk