Windrush in Conversation: Blackhurst on Saturday, May 16, 2026

“…I quickly understood how much it’s like London, culturally. Like, The Caribbean community; the slang, how people move, how people dress, is more like London than the States as far as I was concerned…” Ashley Walters of Top Boy referring to filming Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2005), in Toronto Canada

You are cordially invited to an evening of Windrush conversation on May 16th, 2026 at .

On the evening of Saturday, May 16, 2026 (Victoria Day weekend), join us for stories, curatorial content and conversation about Canada’s cohort of West Indian Windrush. As background:

• The HMT Windrush first landed at Tilbury Docks, UK from Kingston Jamaica on June 22, 1948.
• On board were mostly West Indian nationals who ushered in a prolific wave of population movement within the Commonwealth.
• The British Nationality Act facilitated entry to some 500,000 people from Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, St. Lucia, Grenada, and other Commonwealth countries over the course of more than 40 years. They were met with hardships, but persevered despite the times and conditions. Their children are Windrush Descendants, and collectively they have played a defining role in building postwar England.

During the time of the Nationality Act, Canada was also seeking skilled labour, including from the UK, and many Windrush answered that call. Learn about what their lives were like as they crossed the Commonwealth map in a post war era to make a life for themselves and their families and rebuild nations during important eras of contemporary development.

In addition to sharing ephemera and stories from the enduring life journey of Windrush elder Lloyd Lindo of Amaranth, Ontario, previously displayed at the City of Toronto’s Migrant Stories exhibition (2024), the evening will feature guest Ray Williams, co-founder of the Black Opportunity Fund, and be emceed by Che Marville of Ellivram Inc. (Business Development & Strategic Partnerships). The program will also include a selection of artistic representations of Windrush through books, music, and more.

Details:

Windrush in Conversation

Saturday, May 16, 2026, 4:30 - 6:30pm

Blackhurst Cultural Centre, The People’s Residence

777 Bathurst Street, Toronto, ON

***For RSVP by Monday, May 11, 2026, please contact: Wendy Vincent at [email protected]

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Host or Publisher Wendy Vincent