I grew up in Birmingham in the 1960’s. What happened was that many people came over to England to help to rebuild Britain after the War.

There was little work in Jamaica, but it was so easy to get work in England, that my Dad said you could change jobs three times in a day. Many people came to the West Midlands from the Caribbean islands, only intending to stay a few years and then go back home. When they arrived they also found that racism was rampant and it was tough.

My mother joined my father and they supported the family back in Jamaica, but as more children arrived, they settled here and brought their other children over here. They had a plan to better themselves. They started saving money to buy a house back home, but changed their mind and decided they would stay.

Growing up in Birmingham, I remember the racism I faced at school and walking down the road, calling us names for no reason at all.  The News on TV was showing Black people fighting for their rights, we realised was that there was a hierarchy and it felt like we were at the bottom of it.

Getting a good education was the way our parents saw for us to get qualifications and better jobs. However many of the children from back home who were sent for to come to England to join their parents were put into Special Schools, or teased because of the way they spoke. In those days the bi-lingual skills of people from the Caribbean were not recognised or valued.

We were searching for our identity – we were British English, born here, but Black.  British, but not really, because the English were White.

Rule Britannia
Britannia rules
Di waves
Dem tek InI
Black people
Here innah Inglan
Fi wuk wi as slave
Again?
Natty Dread
wi livin
innah concrete jungle
Natty Dread
wi livin
innah concrete jungle
‘igh rise ghettoes
houses in di skies
no one cyan tell I
dat dis is paradise
mi get up in di marnin
wot ah bam bam
guh fi ketch a lif
di lif outtah hackshan
di way dem bill deze
playsiz
its like a pris’n
Coz Natty
Handsworth
Aston
Ladywood
Edgbaston
Kings Heath
Balsall Heath
Sparkbrook
Small Heath
Evvryweh Iman guh
All Isee is concrete
Cum mek wi step it
Uppah freeman street

Coz Natty

Moqapi Selassie