My parents lived for a while in Handsworth in the early sixties. There was already a substantial ethnic minority population then and my mother and father were as guilty as any of failing to properly integrate. Rather than listening to the music of Lonnie Donnegan or Cliff Richard, they attend ceili nights to hear musicians including a teenage Luke Kelly. Black and brown people were already in a substantial minority in the area and my parents found them warm and welcoming neighbours.
The area was then, and has been ever since, one of the most artistically creative areas of the country. It has brought us a massive number of artists, particularly musicians and while Jenrick might be uncomfortable with many of them not having white faces, he can’t deny the contribution this area has made. The list includes Joan Armatrading, Steve Winwood, Ruby Turner, Tony Iommi, Steel Pulse, Musical Youth, Neville Staple (of the Specials), Dave Ball (of Soft Cell), Apache Indian (BEM to you) and Andy Hamilton, the Jamaican born saxophonist (MBE to you).
It’s not just in the field of music – Chiswick likes to boast about its authors but Handsworth’s Lee Child has probably sold more books than all of them combined and most people would recognise Benjamin Zephaniah as one of this country’s most important modern poetry. There are also actors from the area including Duane Henry who is a big star in the US due to his role in NCIS.
Handsworth has been an area where immigrants have settled for about 80 years and most of the non-white faces that Jenrick encountered will have been British born. That many of them have chosen to maintain traditions from the country of their ancestors has helped provide a platform for Britain to become a cradle of unique talent which is constantly regenerating into new forms to the huge benefit of this economy.
Jenrick is an unprincipled charlatan who was probably lying about his experiences in Handsworth but, in his ignorance, has shone a spotlight on an area which possibly more than any other, shows the benefits of welcoming people from other cultures. Well done to Andy Street on calling him out on his nonsense.
Andrew OSullivan ● 20d