A plea to educate and widen a community ahead of Windrush Day
Ahead of Windrush Day, a group of Incommunities residents on Darnay Lane, West Bowling are reaching out to other people in Bradford from the Caribbean community.
Dwight Roberts, Paul Noade, Alvin Hyman and their neighbours are passionate about their heritage and culture. They would like to share this passion and their experiences with Bradford as a whole – with the end goal of establishing a Caribbean community centre in the city.
“As a trained chef and passionate Jamaican man, I would love the opportunity to teach the people of Bradford about our wonderful food, music and way of life”, said Dwight Roberts.
Dwight continued: “I have made a home in Bradford, but there is a definite gap in knowledge of the Caribbean culture within the city, which I would like to address. Over the last few weeks, we have started working with Marianne, from our landlord Incommunities, to help widen our social community and look for a base to share our love of all things Caribbean.”
Alvin Hyman who is originally from Jamaica, continued: “I love Bradford, but I don’t always feel that our culture has been given the room to shine that it deserves.
“We have a great street here on Darnay Lane; on an evening we sit outside playing dominos, eating Caribbean food, listening to music, and talking about our shared experiences. I would love to widen our little group and we’d love there to be more understanding about our culture.’
“There is quite a large Caribbean community within the Bradford district, but it’s very fragmented. Having a central hub where we can all meet; help break down barriers and demystify stereotypes can only be a positive thing for the city as a whole.”
Marianne Cuthbertson, Equity Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Lead at Incommunities said: “Bradford is a vibrant melting pot of cultures. It’s crucial that everyone feels listened to. Dwight reached out to me to ask for help giving him and his neighbours a voice.
“Dwight and his neighbours are passion personified, they just want to share a culture and heritage that they are incredibly proud of – and rightly so.”