The Opportunity Index

3Equity

MY MOTHER ARRIVED IN BIRMINGHAM in the UK in 1968 at age 16. She was one of nine children; she and six of her siblings were born in Jamaica but would eventually migrate to England. Her younger sister and brother were born in the UK.

This was common practice among Caribbeans who emigrated to England. My grandfather arrived first. The intention was for him to make more money than he was in Jamaica and then return home. But he simply couldn't save enough. My grandmother then joined him and helped him save enough money for their eldest daughter to emigrate. Upon arriving she began working and helped saved money for her younger sister, who arrived a couple of years later. She helped to save money for my mother's ticket. Unlike my grandparents, my mother did not make the journey across the Atlantic by sea but on a Pan Am flight, which landed at Heathrow Airport. She then caught a domestic flight to Birmingham to join her family. I asked her how she felt about making the journey. Was she anxious about moving to a new country? Nervous about getting on an airplane? She gave an emphatic “No!” It was the complete opposite; she felt nothing but excitement.

Life in Jamaica for my mother was very difficult. She was separated from her parents when they emigrated, and although she lived with her grandmother, two of her sisters, and her other brother, the poverty she experienced had a significant impact on her. Her grandmother was aging but because she had to look after four children, ...