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Winston Pinder with Aurora York-McKay |
Flying the flag of Caribbean culture for a new generation
Ceremony honours work of immigrants in preserving and promoting cultural heritage
INSPIRATIONAL teachers, writers, and campaigners were honoured for their achievements in preserving and promoting Caribbean culture on Sunday.
Many of the luminaries recognised as “unsung heroes” at the Carib-Brits Royale EduCulture awards ceremony at the London Irish Centre, Camden Square, have dedicated a lifetime to the study and furthering of West Indian heritage.
The work of some dates back to the first arrivals of the Windrush generation in the late 1940s.
The radical campaigner and youth worker Winston Pinder was praised for his founding role in West Hampstead’s legendary Paul Robeson House.
During the 1970s and early 1980s Mr Pinder was a father figure for dozens of homeless black youths from Camden and Kentish Town, whom he put up in the derelict house in Woodchurch Road with hard-won government grants.
The house opened in 1976 as a response to a dearth in local facilities – particularly those available to immigrant communities.
Carib-Brits organiser Aurora York-McKay was one of the young people to whom Mr Pinder, now 70, gave shelter and support.
Hailing Mr Pinder’s long record of social service, Ms York-McKay said Caribbean elders continued to have a “responsibility to young people faced with a multiplicity of cultures” in modern-day Britain.
She added: “We are trying to impart our heritage to a new generation that’s ready to fly the banner for the Caribbean.
“When the first few generations came here they came with very strong values. We are trying to encourage people to work together and not forget that, whether through culture or formal education.”
Among the guests was Professor Gus John, former director of education for Hackney and a tireless advocate for racial equality since he came to England from Guyana in 1964.
Mr John made time between his projects in Manchester and an advisory trip to Somaliland the next day to present an award to the broadcaster and journalist Alex Pascal, a founder of the Notting Hill Carnival and one of the first regular black voices on British radio as a presenter for the Black Londoners show.
Retired schools inspector Winston Best and Clem Seecharan, professor of Caribbean studies at London Metropolitan University for the past 20 years, also received plaudits for their dual efforts – bridging the gaps between communities while reminding future generations of Caribbean descendants about their roots.
He said: “It’s very heartening when you see people coming from a poor background and being uplifted by the contributions these people have made. A lot of problems arise out of ignorance and not having a sense of one’s past.” |
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