The colour they bring to these shores...
...is soon confronted by a backdrop of black, white and grey.
All of which is leading to the Notting Hill riots of 1958 & subsequently, the birth of a new generation.
It follows the journey of three brothers; Lloyd, Winston and Fitzroy.
The story starts in Jamaica in 1956 and culminates in 1958 at the end of the Notting Hill race riot.
As a result he has hopes and expectations of being accepted among his white colleagues and neighbours. The reality however quickly turns to a feeling of not being wanted in the country he bravely fought for. Known as ''Lah De Dah'' by his fellow countrymen, he is mocked for his ''English'' ways.
To his shame, the only room he can rent is a bathroom in a run down house.
He doesn’t doff his cap and subscribe to the whole commonwealth, King and country thing but instead, sees opportunity. He soon picks up the undercurrent of racism that surrounds his new life as he arrives on UK shores.
Although he knows the streets are not paved wth gold, he can none the less sense opportunities aplenty in the London that presents itself to him.
He is quick to defend himself when verbally and physically challenged and take on his oppressors and the 'Teddy B'woys' who blight his daily life.
He can't help but paint a musical backdrop via ''Marilyn'' the guitar, that he carries everywhere.
His ''happy go lucky'' demeanour is to the fore as he hustles for gigs in the underground clubs of Notting Hill and Soho to perform his music. His songs will provide a running commentary throughout the film on just what life is REALLY like for those who have newly arrived.
What the brothers want is gainful employment and to help the motherland. They see an opportunity to escape high unemployment in the Caribbean, make money, give their children a better life and finally retire home to the sun. What the people they encounter don’t realise is that those coming over are well educated, hard-working and resourceful.
As they left ‘’home’’ they were seen as heroes, but on arrival they are seen as an annoyance. We also see how former black soldiers are treated by the establishment. Above all, Brown Skins, shows the brothers’ resilience and how they triumph over the human condition. England is seen through the lens of the first generations’ eyes; a backdrop of black, white and grey.
Meanwhile, these exotic visitors bring splashes of vibrant colour to the landscape.
The film climaxes with the Notting Hill riots, which echo the anti immigration disturbances of 2024. The intervening 70 odd years prove that not too much has changed. The fear of a new influx of people in the UK, this time stirred up by the 'instant' world we now live in created by a world of social media, sets off major street disturbances and attacks on immigrants and where they reside. No matter that much of the information presented is at best half baked and more often that not, fake news at its most dangerous. It appears, that the mantra for many of those who were involved in these riots, seemed to be 'if it was on Instagram, it must be true.'
A war hero, it's as simple as that. He followed the call and joined the fight against the Nazi hordes. His reward? Being told quite forcibly by those he loves and that love him in return 'they don't want you here, can you not see that?'
Mocked for his 'English' ways, being dressed in a regiment tie and blazer, even he fails to get decent accommodation in the era of 'No Irish, no blacks, no dogs'
A well informed chancer who will not take a backwards step when confronted by those who stare him down.
Instead, Winston's eyes are on the prize. He knows that there is money to be made in his new home town of London, and he has plans in place to achieve that.
Obstacles come his way all day, and have to be negotiated, but being fleet of foot and mind, he finds he has no one in his circle to match his ultimate ambitions.
A troubadour who sings all night and day. Music is his life's blood, it courses through his veins 24/7.
A born hustler, he is soon performing his songs in clubs and coffee bars on a nightly basis.
Those songs will provide the backbone to our story, covering the highlights and lowlights with equal meaning, portraying just what it was like for those who had landed on these shores.
My dad dying late last year made me realise how important it is to tell the story of these economic migrants. My father, a man of very few words, most of his life, became more communicative as his dementia progressed and started to repeat stories of his experiences in post war Britain.
Today we know the consequences of The Windrush Generation being here, but in danger of being forgotten, is what their life was actually like.
Ironically, after the war over a million skilled men who were in the armed services left England to live on foreign shores. My father and his peers had been invited to The United Kingdom to bridge that gap and felt it was a privilege to accept. The reality was facing a broken nation, who in the main, viewed them with hostility. They were black, they were visible and there was nowhere to hide from the inhabitants of a country who had lived with the fret of a German invasion for six long years. Fear and pack mentality started to take hold. All of this culminated in 1958s summer of ‘racial riots’ first in St Ann’s in Nottingham and then Notting Hill in London. The Windrush Generation really were pioneers and like my father are either dying or being deported; not quite the dream, they had in mind. Their story needs to be told.
