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Oral history recording with Anthony Wayne-Wright, second generation Windrush, born in Cardiff in 1963. Recorded as part of Race Council Cymru’s Windrush Cymru Heritage Project.

“Everyone has a right to exist.”

Anthony Wayne-Wright is second generation Windrush and was born in Cardiff in 1963.

“When I was about fourteen, there were six in my family, four brothers and two girls…”

“We [second generation Windrush] were the first generation born here and we spent a lot of time trying to find out who we are… I had no fall back. A lot of my generation didn’t. A lot of my generation didn’t have confidence, that’s why we looked to ourselves.”

“When I grew up it was all new… the term Black was powerful… there wasn’t much identity offered to you, it was very basic, one or the other. Nowadays, there’s so many different identities…”

“I remember in school every year, most schools would have a radio, there would be a song competition and at 3 o’clock everyone in school would vote for a song and I felt proud when Jamaica Farewell won. Bob Marley and Muhammed Ali, they were like – you didn’t get many Black people being proud on tv and they made you feel special.”

“My biggest memory, sometimes… we could hear Dad drunk going on about chains on the legs. As Chris Eubanks said, ‘Once you learn about slavery, you’re burdened as a slave… I totally disagreed at the time, but looking back, once you know that my grandfather was a slave, it makes you realise that slavery was a major part of our history.’”

“I’m the only remaining boy, so one day I’m going to have to go back. People haven’t asked why I haven’t gone back, it’s probably just a bit of fear as well. It won’t be like a holiday, it’ll be an emotional thing.”