Introduction
The Need for Support Structures and Institutions
The Official Response
Migrant Organisations
The Importance of the Family
Settlement and Domesticity
Introduction
Arriving after the Second World War it was often the intention of many migrants to work or study, become successful, and then to return home with the means for an improved life. Whilst the 'myth of return' would always be present in the minds of many who migrated to Britain voluntarily, the reality was that as they became occupied with day-to-day living a gradual process of permanent settlement began. Migration involved the departure from a familiar to an unfamiliar place and the process of settlement entailed the creation of a familiar and safe home which was simultaneously 'here' in Britain and 'there' in the country of origin. The creation of a home in Britain was partly reliant upon the development of responses to the barriers that excluded migrants from fully participating in society. Many structures were consequently built to establish and support growing communities. It was through these structures, over the decades, that Birmingham's migrants were transformed from transient visitors to minority communities with a permanent visible presence in the city.
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The Need for Support Structures and Institutions
There were many issues that concerned Britain's post-war migrants: inadequate housing and homelessness, racial discrimination and the problems of educating children, as well as isolation and negative media representations were a significant part of their experience which prompted both the white 'host' and migrant communities alike to develop appropriate sources of support.
In Birmingham the authorities and local organisations were unprepared for the effects of large numbers of migrants (particularly Commonwealth migrants) arriving in the country however effort was made to bring about an improvement in their circumstances. One of the earliest attempts was made by the Co-ordinating Committee for Overseas Nationals (CCON) which was established in 1950 by the Archdeacon of Birmingham the Reverend S Harvie Clark (Sutcliffe & Smith, 1974). The organisation, which later changed its name to the Co-ordinating Committee for Coloured People, included representatives from the Ministry of Labour, the Society of Friends, Birmingham University and the Birmingham Corporation, and aimed to address the problems facing black migrants in the city. Recognising the need for proper support structures to be put into place for migrants who lacked assistance and access to facilities, the Committee included representatives from City Council committees as members.
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The Official Response
One of the Council's first responses to the concerns raised by the Co-ordinating Committee for Overseas Nationals was the establishment of the Clifton Institute in Balsall Heath in February 1951. Organised by the Education Committee, the Institute represented "an official effort to break any racial distinctions that may exist in Birmingham" and was claimed to be a place where 'natives of Jamaica and West Africa' could "meet at evening classes on equal terms with natives of Birmingham" (Your Business, March 1951 p3). As well as courses, the Institute offered facilities for recreation including cricket, darts, chess, cycling and swimming. Elementary English classes were also offered to Indians and Pakistanis after an experiment started by a Pakistani teacher three years earlier had met with success.
At the same time, in a document submitted with the Town Clerk's report to the Birmingham Corporation's Special Purposes Sub-Committee on 15th September 1953, the Co-ordinating Committee for Overseas Nationals requested a welfare officer and information office to deal with the problems of the 'coloured population' including gaining employment, training and housing and the need for assistance with form filling. According to the Committee it was "of the utmost importance from the point of view of the Commonwealth that these coloured citizens living in the Mother Country should not feel that they are aliens." Consequently, a 'Liaison Officer for Coloured People' was appointed whose duties were to "deal with enquiries from, and to assist in dealing with the problems of, coloured persons in the City…" [BCC/1/AG/S/12 Special Purposes Sub-Committee, 6th April 1954].
In addition to the work of the Local Authority, a local liaison committee was set up in conjunction with the National Committee for Commonwealth Immigrants (1965) which became Birmingham Community Relations Council in the late 1960s. A number of Birmingham Community Relations Council's publications can be found in the archives
[MS 2478/B/3/10]. Whilst these efforts played an important role in fostering links between different communities in the city, they were regarded by many as inadequate in meeting migrants' needs due to their paternalism which alienated the communities they were supposed to represent (Rex & Tomlinson, 1979.) It was generally the migrants themselves who initiated both ad hoc and lasting welfare and support structures that were appropriate to their communities' needs.
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Migrant Organisations
The various support structures that developed from the 1950s onwards such as places of worship, schools, community centres, education and arts projects, shops, the 'black media', and welfare and campaigning organisations were all a response to the social barriers affecting people from migrant communities. In addition to filling gaps in the provision of services by the authorities and local organisations, the structures that developed fulfilled a number of significant roles. Some provided practical help in adapting to life in Britain such as advice and language support and mediated between communities and 'mainstream' institutions; others provided an outlet for migrant enterprise. Some delivered specific cultural and religious support which contributed to the preservation and continuity of migrants' culture in Britain, whilst others raised an awareness of inequalities and encouraged political participation and activism. Still others concentrated on developing self-esteem, ethnic consciousness and a sense of identity, particularly amongst the younger generations. Collectively these support structures both eased the integration of migrants into British society and allowed them to both mark their distinctiveness and claim recognition of the needs and rights of minority ethnic groups in Britain.
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The Importance of the Family
In addition to the structures that were developed in the public sphere, sources of support that developed in the private sphere, in which women played a vital role, were a fundamental part of the settlement of migrants. Traditionally seen as a symbol of stability, for many the presence of the family came to embody their community in Britain. Migration involved a temporary splitting of families and the arrival of fiancés or wives and children from abroad brought reunification and removed the need of migrants to return 'home' to be with their families. Relationships and marriages in Britain also served to bring permanence to the presence of migrants. Henry Archer who came to Britain from Trinidad found that it was only after marrying his wife and having a family that he began to feel at home in Britain [MS 2255/2/03 pp11-12]. As families settled and communities emerged, traditional values and practices took root in a new environment.
As their children grew up and established themselves here, the desire of migrants to return to the land of their birth also began to fade since the relationships that had been built meant that their roots became deeply lodged in British soil. Chaudhry Mohammed Latif, who came to England from Pakistan in 1957, reflects on this experience which now dominates his sense of belonging:
"… when I came as I said, I came only for two years, and then it is now almost 43 years, my wife, my children and my children’s children, they are all well settled and established here... As far as I am concerned, I have got my family and my future families, they are all here. I mean I have got except two brothers and their families, there is hardly anything there for me to go back to..." [MS 2255/2/2 p17]
Mahmood Sultan likewise identifies his roots in Britain and his family as inextricably bound together:
"… all my family, my both sons are in England and our elder son, he got his family in this country, they look to Great Britain as their home, it is the only country they have known, so we, despite, I would love to retire in Pakistan because of its weather, climate, you know warm climate, but I don’t see any… I can’t foresee ever going back to Pakistan because my family is here, my roots are in this country now." [MS 2255/2/72 p20]
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Settlement and Domesticity
Alongside the presence of the family, the creation of the home was another significant factor in the settlement experience. Due to the unsettled way of life experienced by migrants - the uprootedness and lack of privacy in overcrowded multi-occupied lodging houses - establishing a home as a private space and source of refuge became important. Building the home and re-establishing household traditions came to afford a sense of pride. In 'The Divisive Decade' Edmead emphasises the importance of the front room, which was often treated in a 'shrine-like manner,' in Caribbean migrants' households. As well as containing the best furniture:
"It also contained the drinks cabinet, the best family pictures, the souvenirs of seaside trips of places that had been visited, or given as gifts by friends. The room was also seen as a place of sanctuary, where the father or mother could gather their thoughts after a hard day's work in an often hostile world." (Edmead, 1999: 22)
The photograph above, taken from the Vanley Burke archive, illustrates this idea of the front room as both shrine and sanctuary. The hearth is emphasised by the photographs, cards, ornaments and religious symbols that surround it which provide a cushion against the day's activities. The photograph provides an image of the well-ordered family home that contrasts with the poor and inadequate conditions that many were faced with when they first arrived in Britain.
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You may read more about the various support structures that have supported the settlement of migrants in the sections on Religion and Settlement, Community Groups and Projects, and Other Support Structures.
Author: Sarah Dar
Main Image: Photograph by Vanley Burke [City Archives: MS 2192]
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