Windrush Day: 'Never mind the obstacles, work around it'
City council papers said the pioneer was not only Wolverhampton's first black councillor but also the first black female university professor.Wolverhampton MP Sureena Brackenridge said in the Commons Prof Chevannes had "not only opened doors but shattered glass ceilings".
Windrush Day marks the contributions of the Windrush generation - people from the Caribbean who were invited to the UK to help rebuild post-war Britain.The first ship, HMT Empire Windrush, docked in Tilbury, Essex, in 1948, with hundreds of passengers on board.
Prof Chevannes said that generation had "overcome tremendous obstacles, more so than I and many others have experienced, and if it hadn't been for them, we wouldn't be here".She said: "These were the people who experienced racial discrimination at first hand, couldn't get housing accommodation – they literally shared beds."I know things have changed, but nevertheless there are still people who are treated very badly on the basis of their colour. No-one should be treated badly because of the colouring of their skin."
Election victory
In 1981, The Times reported how Chevannes held the Graiseley ward for Labour with 1,887 votes, beating Roger Steel, from the newly-formed Social Democratic Party – a group that had broken away from Labour – with 1,114.Remembering how she had Caribbean, Asian and white supporters, she said she had been the first black woman to stand in the ward.It had been seen as an "easy capture" for the new party, Prof Chevannes said, but added: "It didn't happen and in fact people were really wonderful."She described how as chair of the social services committee, she worked to help young people, families and people facing difficulties.She served as a councillor for 11 years and later chaired The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust.
Her statue will the first in England to honour a named black woman still living, Prof Chevannes said.A statue of Jamaican-born Mary Seacole was believed to be the UK's first in honour of a named black woman in 2016.Seacole, who nursed soldiers in the Crimean War, died in 1881.
Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
14 minutes ago
- The Independent
Warning Labour's rewilding plans could trigger surge in UK wildfires
Gamekeepers have warned that the government 's rewilding proposals could trigger an increase in wildfires across the UK. Labour has plans to ban winter burning from over half of England's peatland. The changes are claimed to help 're-wet' the country's peat bogs, as well as reduce the chances of wildfires and decrease carbon emissions. Environmentalists argue that peat bogs must be preserved as they soak up huge amounts of carbon, while landowners and gamekeepers say burning restrictions will, in fact, enable wildfires to break out that will be 'too large to fight'. Winter burning is a controlled traditional upland management technique whereby firebreaks in upland areas are established by creating strips of less flammable foliage. It is used to decrease the amount of fuel for possible wildfires and slow the speed at which blazes can spread. However, in conservation areas of 'deep peat', of a depth of 40cm or deeper, the burns were banned in 2021, covering 222,000 hectares of land. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is now looking into lowering the threshold for 'deep peat' to 30cm, which would extend the restrictions to 368,000 hectares. It says wetter peat will decrease the likelihood of wildfires, while gamekeepers argue the plans would leave Britain's moors and heaths more vulnerable. Andrew Gilruth, chief executive of the Moorland Association, told The Telegraph: 'This is our worst-ever year for wildfires. Britain is burning because of the religion of rewilding. 'It is obvious to everyone bar Natural England that, with climate change making vegetation tinder-dry, increasing this fuel load through rewilding is a really stupid idea. It makes for bigger, more intense blazes which can move at frightening speed.' 'I think the whole thing is very concerning – not just from a loss-of-habitat point of view, but also putting firefighters and land managers in real danger from the inevitable wildfires. 'The whole thing is becoming a massive tinderbox and a bomb that is going off. At the moment, re-wetting is increasing the fuel level on the moors and that is a real concern. Prescribed burning will not stop wildfires, but it reduces the length of flames and allows fires to be contained quicker.' More proposals include removing an exemption to current restrictions, which would allow burns to continue on 'inaccessible' land. Adrian Blackmore, the director of shooting at the Countryside Alliance, described Defra's plans as 'staggering'. He told The Telegraph: 'They are showing a staggering lack of understanding or knowledge. Burns reduce the fire load, encourage young growth for the birds to eat and encourage the growth of sphagnum moss, which is the peat-forming moss. 'So if you don't remove the canopy, you can't encourage sphagnum moss, because it's not going to grow underneath it. And sphagnum moss is the be-all and end-all, making moors wetter.' A Defra spokesperson told The Independent: 'Our peatlands are home to Britain's most precious wildlife, while also storing carbon and reducing flooding risk. With 13 per cent of the world's blanket bog in the UK, we've consulted on ways to ensure these rare habitats are better protected. We will set out our response in due course.' Heatwaves and consistent dry weather have seen the London Fire Brigade tackle more wildfires this summer than in the whole of 2024. A senior firefighter said that crews were experiencing a 'busy summer' and that they were working under 'very challenging conditions' to bring the blazes under control. Wildfires have even been raging in Scotland this summer, a place that rarely sees blazes break out. The Scottish Gamekeepers Association warned the fires were limiting the ability of 'stretched' firefighters to respond to other emergencies, so they were 'becoming a danger to human life'. Land managers can apply for licences to burn for the purpose of wildfire management, which are regulated and issued by Defra. The Defra spokesperson said repeated burning risks permanently altering the species composition and hydrology of peatland habitats. They added that peat that is wet is less likely to burn during a wildfire, builds new peat and loses less carbon through oxidation, protecting the stored carbon of old peat and ensuring that the habitat persists.
BreakingNews.ie
15 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Paul Weller sues former accountants after being dropped over Gaza statements
Musician Paul Weller is suing his former accountants after they stopped working with the singer after public statements alleging Israel was committing genocide in Gaza, according to a legal letter. The former frontman of The Jam has filed a discrimination claim against Harris and Trotter after the firm ended their professional relationship after more than 30 years. Advertisement In a pre-action letter seen by the PA news agency, lawyers for Weller say the singer-songwriter was told in March that the accountants and tax advisers would no longer work with the 67-year-old or his companies. According to the letter, a WhatsApp message from a partner at the firm included: 'It's well known what your political views are in relation to Israel, the Palestinians and Gaza, but we as a firm are offended at the assertions that Israel is committing any type of genocide. 'Everyone is entitled to their own views, but you are alleging such anti-Israel views that we as a firm with Jewish roots and many Jewish partners are not prepared to work with someone who holds these views.' Lawyers for Weller claim that by ending their services, the firm unlawfully discriminated against the singer's protected philosophical beliefs including that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and that Palestine should be recognised as a nation state. Advertisement Paul Weller said the situation in Gaza is a humanitarian catastrophe (Ian West/PA) Weller said: 'I've always spoken out against injustice, whether it's apartheid, ethnic cleansing, or genocide. What's happening to the Palestinian people in Gaza is a humanitarian catastrophe. 'I believe they have the right to self-determination, dignity, and protection under international law, and I believe Israel is committing genocide against them. That must be called out. 'Silencing those who speak this truth is not just censorship – it's complicity. 'I'm taking legal action not just for myself, but to help ensure that others are not similarly punished for expressing their beliefs about the rights of the Palestinian people.' Advertisement Weller will donate any damages he receives to humanitarian relief efforts in Gaza, the legal letter also states. Cormac McDonough, a lawyer at Hodge Jones and Allen, representing Weller, said that his case 'reflects a wider pattern of attempts to silence artists and public figures who speak out in support of Palestinian rights'. Mr McDonough added: 'Within the music industry especially, we are seeing increasing efforts to marginalise those who express solidarity with the people of Gaza.' Harris and Trotter have been contacted for comment. Advertisement
Daily Mail
15 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
HUGO DUNCAN: The inflation genie back out of the bottle, the economy is floundering... and Labour has no plan
The chickens are coming home to roost. When Rachel Reeves broke the Labour election pledge not to raise national insurance, she was warned the £25bn tax raid on business would push up prices and cost jobs. She did it anyway. Official figures last week showed 206,000 jobs lost since the election. And now we have inflation roaring back as companies push up prices to deal with the extra costs they face as a result of the Chancellor's growth-sapping and job-destroying policies. Ms Reeves used to boast Britain was the fastest growing economy in the G7. Not anymore. But at 3.8 per cent, we do have the highest inflation rate of the seven major developed economies. In September last year, ahead of the Budget, it was 1.7 per cent. The Left-leaning Resolution Foundation says UK inflation 'looks increasingly like an international outlier'. Companies are pushing up prices to deal with the extra costs they face as a result of growth-sapping and job-destroying policies from Chancellor Rachel Reeves The bond markets are watching on – and don't like what they see. Not only is the inflation genie back out of the bottle and the economy floundering, but our national debt is soaring, and in abandoning welfare cuts, Labour has shown it has no plan to bring the public finances back under control. As a result, Britain faces the steepest borrowing costs in the G7, with the 30-year bond yield at its highest level since 1998. That means the UK government pays more to borrow on the international money markets than the US, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Canada. In other words, lending to Britain is seen as a riskier bet than lending to any of these other countries. The spike in inflation will not help as a large portion of UK government debt is index-linked – meaning payments rise as inflation goes up. There are very real consequences for families across the country. Inflation is a menace that eats into the income of workers and pensioners alike, devastating living standards along the way. Yes, average prices may have been pushed a little higher by the 'Oasis effect' as fans paid through the nose for hotel rooms around concert venues. But this is also parents struggling to pay for school uniforms, shoppers putting the weekly supermarket shop on the credit card to make sure they have enough money to pay household bills, families worrying about how they'll pay for Christmas after pushing the boat out on an even modest summer holiday. Rail fares – which are linked to inflation – now look set to rise by 5.8 per cent next year. There is also the prospect of energy bills rising again at the start of October – little over a month away - just in time for winter. It may seem a long way off, but it will come round soon enough for those feeling the pinch. Another Reeves boast is that interest rates have come down five times since Labour came to office, from 5.25 per cent to 4 per cent. But while she seeks to take credit for this, how much lower might interest rates now be had she not driven up prices with her inflationary rise in national insurance and the minimum wage? With inflation nearly double the Bank of England's 2 per cent target, hopes of a further rate cut this year are fading fast. Instead, families and businesses are braced for another punishing round of tax rises in the autumn. The squeeze has only just begun.
