THE NUMBER of visitors to a Windrush memorial at Tilbury Docks has increased following a sickening racially-motivated attack.
Since The Voice reported on the case, the creator of the project Everton Wright, known as EVEWRIGHT, said the incident has actually helped increase visitors to the display and he has been inundated with messages of support.
“Whoever did this thought they were destroying something, but they have only made it stronger,” he said.
EVEWRIGHT will be hosting a special artist walk and talk tour on Sunday 16th October and will provide a guided tour of the memorial.
“I want people to come down and see the bridge that our ancestors walked through to come to Britain in 1948, the paint on the bridge has not been touched – so it is exactly as it was when they made that historic journey,” he added.
A public Windrush memorial will remain open during Black History Month despite being targeted in a suspected ‘hate crime’ during the summer.
The Tilbury Bridge Walkway of Memories, had several of its glass panels broken over the August Bank Holiday weekend.
The art display features 130 people from the Windrush era and their families through photographs, documents and audio and is located on one of the bridges at Tilbury Docks used by the Windrush generation in 1948.
EVEWRIGHT said: “That bridge is where so many beautiful and enthusiastic members of the Caribbean community entered this country and to have that artwork on that walkway is so special, how could I make just a few individuals who vandalised it come and spoil the party?
“When the Windrush generation arrived here they went through worse treatment than what has happened on the bridge and for that reason, I am not going to close the exhibition.”
“That bridge is a symbol of our history and I defend our artwork, our imagery and our story,” he added.
The idea for the memorial came about three years ago, before the Windrush scandal emerged in the media and the display has been in several different locations before it ended up on one of the bridges in Tilbury.
The windows were smashed on the bridge and some photographs of people from the Windrush generation had their images destroyed by what was describes as a “high velocity weapon.”
A spokesperson from Port of Tilbury Police said: “This incident is being treated as a racially motivated criminal damage. The matter is being investigated by the Port of Tilbury Police in conjunction with Essex Police. Currently, no arrests have been made at this time and the investigation is ongoing. We would ask that if any members of the public have any information please contact the police control room at the Port of Tilbury on 01375 846781.”
For more information on the Tilbury Bridge Walkway of Memories, please visit: https://www.evewrightarts.org/events/black-history-month-16th-october-2021-artist-walk-and-talk-tour-tilbury-bridge-walkway-of-memories
The bridge is open seven days a week to the public.
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