We Rise Track Commemorates Bristol Bus Boycott
Windrush Day has been marked in Bristol with a series of events and new music
A series of events have been taking place in Bristol this weekend to celebrate the 76th anniversary of Windrush. In 1948, HMT Empire Windrush docked in Tilbury, Essex. It brought passengers from the Carribean to help rebuild post-war Britain.
Windrush Day celebrates the contribution the Carribean migrants made. But it also also highlights the systemic racisim and inequalities they faced and continue to face. This was not just within society. A failure by the government to keep hold of relevant records, realised in 2018, saw people of the Windrush generation threatened with deportation. In nearly 100 cases, people were wrongly deported from the country. A Windrush Compensation Scheme set up in 2019 has continued adding to the trauma of the generation of people affected and their attempts to engage with it.
We Rise
This year, a new track has been released commemorating the Bristol Bus Boycott of 1963. The Boycott, set in motion by Roy Hackett and Paul Stephenson, was a four-month long boycott protest by Bristolians against the racist policies of the Bristol Omnibus Company. The bus company refused to employ Black or Asian bus crews. The Boycott was monumental, leading to a civil rights movement in the UK that started changing attitudes towards racist discrimination. It paved the way for the Race Relations Act of 1965. The new track – We Rise – aims to inspire young people to continue championing the principles of the original Boycott.
We Rise was commissioned by Bristol Beacon and Curiosity UnLtd. It was delivered by Aspiration Creation Elevation CIC (ACE) which is based at Docklands Community Centre in the heart of St Pauls.
Four young artists – Elarbe, Dreamz, Jayemm, and Cstar – came together with music mentors Andre Currie, Javeon, Tanya Lacey and Liam Callaway. The final result has been described as an ‘anthem for change’. It celebrates cultural milestones yet also inspires future generations to continue fighting for equality.
“My Grandmother was part of the Windrush generation, so this project feels very personal,” Laila Richardson AKA Elarbe said. “I want young people to feel like they can have a voice when it comes to history. I want to show that there’s things you can do as a young person that can make a change.”
The artists involved in the track visited Parliament to meet Bristol West MP and Shadow Culture Secretary Thangam Debbonaire, alongside individuals that had taken part in the original boycott.
Disruptor-in-Chief at Curiosity UnLtd, Julz Davis said: “We stand on the shoulders of giants, and the trip to Parliament was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for these young artists to get up close and personal with some of those giants. We travelled up in a bus that had been fully wrapped to tell the Bristol Bus Boycott story. This provided a unique setting to inspire and ultimately enrich their songwriting process. We Rise exceeded my expectations and is truly an anthem for change that Bristol can be inspired by and proud of.”
The video accompanying We Rise, pays tribute to the St Pauls community and features footage from the Parliament event.
Windrush – The Journey
Pegasus Opera Company brought a musical event to the Bristol Beacon this week celebrating Black British composers. Its Windrush concert and exhibition has been touring the country, spending Windrush Day in Bristol.
For more information about the programme of events taking place as part of Windrush to Bristol, visit: https://bristolbeacon.org/whats-on/windrush-to-bristol/
Last year, St Pauls Carnival celebrated the Bristol Boycott as part of its procession. The hugely popular event won’t be taking place this year, but there is a series of fundraising events taking place in Bristol to help support Carnival in the future: https://www.stpaulscarnival.net/
Featured Image: We Rise Jayemm, photograph by Cameron Medford
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