YOUNG people from Bradford have carried out interviews with members of the Windrush Generation, learning about their cultural identity, history and what life was like for Caribbean people who made West Yorkshire their home from the 1950s onwards.

The interviews have been published in a new book, with the launch taking place at the Dominica Association of Bradford next week.

On 18 March, those who contributed to Windrush Three Generations: Stories of Hope, Courage and Success will speak at the launch, following an “organic process” which saw young and old discuss Black British history.

The book has been published by the African Caribbean Achievement Project (ACAP) - a charity based on Claremont, near the University of Bradford – and has helped to give young people a “sense of cultural pride”, said the charity’s director, Claudia McFarlane.

“This book is a culmination of a project our young people have led themselves”, she said.

“We are really pleased with them, and the book is now available to buy online.

“The young people have learned about the attitude of British people when Caribbean people first arrived. They were shocked that they had things like ‘no blacks, no dogs, no Irish’.

“They’ve also learned about some of the things that Black people have done, such as how Caribbean people – who were invited to this country – helped to re-build the NHS after World War Two.

“They worked ridiculous hours and worked themselves into early graves. This country would not look like it does today without Black people.

“These are things the young people didn’t know before.

“But it didn’t stop progression, and the Windrush Generation went on to have successful children, who have gone on to have even more successful children.

“Normally when our community is featured in the media it’s negative, so to have some positivity really empowers the young people.

“They don’t have to have this narrative that we’re at the bottom of the barrel. If they knew our impact - especially in West Yorkshire, because everything is normally so London-centric - it would be a different story. That’s why we’ve done the book.

“I’ve seen a sense of high cultural esteem grow in our young people. When you fill a child with pride in their cultural heritage, you are setting them up for success.”

Claudia, who is “Bradford born and bred”, was born to a Dominican father and a Jamaican mother, who moved to London in the 1950s, before later settling in Bradford.

“My dad worked in transport, and my mother initially went into the care industry”, she explained.

“When they first came here, they couldn’t find a place to live. They had to share properties with five or six other families.

“That was very common back then, because white people didn’t always want to rent to Black people.

“This book is a story of progress and is about what happens when you continue on the path of success.

“It’s a very positive read about the pioneers who came here first.”

Windrush Three Generations: Stories of Hope, Courage and Success is available on Amazon, and the launch will run from 6.30pm to 8.30pm at the Dominica Association of Bradford on 18 March.