My Father made his way over to England from Jamaica during the mid-late 40’s on the Empire Windrush.

The SS Empire Windrush was a former German cruise liner that brought many from The West Indies to the Landing dock of Tilbury and the ships arrival marked an important moment in English history and new boundaries of freedom were established.

The many changes that war had brought had become permanent and for many British white women , dreams, aspirations and self-fulfillment were to become their quests in the following decades. Any traditional standards whether it be in the home or workplace were being questioned.

There was a certain anxiety amongst women, and the white British women were starting to date Caribbean men. The Windrush Years had created a portrait of writers, poets, photographers and talented musicians. Colorful artists like Jimmy Cliff, Dennis Morris and James Berry.

James was a close friend of my parents for many years and was just one artist who took his work to the next level and became recognised for his poetry works and writing.

My Father on the other hand settled in Central London and worked as a Tailor's Presser but was also musically motivated and wanted to project his talent and with a voice being similar to that of Nat King Cole and playing jazz piano. This eventually led him to a job at the Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London’s Soho.

In 1959 saxophonist Ronnie Scott opened his doors to a small basement club in Soho’s West End where local musicians could jam to the early hours – there my Father met the up  and coming Tubby Hayes,

Dizzy Gillespie, the wonderful, talented Ella Fitzgerald and many more who were to prove themselves much later on in years as the powerhouses of jazz.

My Mother then in her twenties first met my Father on an evening out with a friend. The Hammersmith Palais was  a dance hall where various well known jazz bands of the day appeared including the likes of Glenn Miller and Joe Loss as well as Ronnie Scott.

The dance halls of London in the 1950’s were a place where young men and women like my parents became equal and at the same time learnt to jive! Dance halls became an extraordinary melting pot of many cultures.But there were many who did not accept these new and unique relationships of mixed colours of race .

My Mother and Father continued their relationship regardless of society news until they married in 1957.

Britain was in the middle of social change and by the start of the seventies West Indians were a familiar and established part of the population in Great Britain. I had never thought of my skin color, not at such an early age anyway. In fact, I had always felt comfortable in my own skin and had no reason to question myself otherwise. However, by the time I reached middle childhood I expanded myself into a different role.

I was twelve years old and although somewhat reserved I felt I had a different point of view and people’s evaluation of me was usually a subject of debate. School for me was met with great effort and attended by obstacles. I was soon to develop an inferiority complex trying to cover up the unhappiness I was experiencing.

There were fine lines being crossed and many questions unanswered and many answers I couldn’t find.

My expectations of success for the future were distorted making me feel somewhat isolated, not completely blending in with the status quo and yet wanted a sense of belonging – but to what or to whom? The journey ahead was going to take an extraordinary amount of effort and the purpose of this journey was to reach my destination – eventually.

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