Londoner Elaine has had a broad range of jobs during her career.
She’s worked for the BBC and as a social worker at a psychiatric day centre. Although she isn’t currently working, Elaine’s desire to help has motivated her to volunteer at her local NHS trust.
Elaine is open to accepting assistance too, having contacted the Age UK Advice Line. The service supported Elaine, who has mobility issues caused by osteoarthritis, in applying for a Personal Independence Payment (PIP), a benefit that helps individuals with the extra cost of living with a health condition or disability.
Sharing and caring go hand in hand in Jamaican culture.
Connecting with culture
“I also suffer from anxiety and depression,” reveals Elaine, “and when I’m very depressed, I can’t leave the house.”
In need of opportunities to socialise when her mental health permits, the Age UK Advice Line signposted Elaine to Age UK Hillingdon, Harrow and Brent, the local Age UK nearest to where she lives. Having given them a call, Elaine was told about their monthly Caribbean Club, which she began attending earlier this year and provides regular opportunities to meet others and connect with her Jamaican heritage.
“Having a club like this is important for people from the Caribbean, just as a similar club for people with Indian heritage would be important, as it validates one’s identity,” says Elaine, who has so far enjoyed sessions on poetry, jewellery making, and a music quiz. “The first time I came, they looked out for me,” recalls Elaine of the organisers and attendees of the Caribbean Club. “I met a couple of people I already knew, including someone I knew from about 20 years ago!”
Food glorious food
The daughter of a Nigerian father and a Jamaican mother, Elaine identifies more strongly with the latter side, having spent a great deal of time with that part of the family when she was younger. Her Jamaican grandmother taught her to cook when she was a child. As well as sharing traditional recipes such as brown stew chicken, banana fritters and toto, a coconut cake, Elaine’s grandmother shared the ethos behind the preparation and sharing of food.
“Food is a way of showing love to people – even people you don’t know,” explains Elaine. “Whether that’s inviting someone around for a meal or a drink and a piece of cake, sharing and caring go hand in hand in Jamaican culture.”
I think we need to be doing this more than one month a year.
Standing Firm in Power and Pride
The theme for Black History Month 2025 is ‘Standing Firm in Power and Pride’ and reflects the resilience and commitment of the Black Community in this country and across the world – a commitment that, in the fractious current climate in which divisions are being amplified, remains as important as ever.
“It’s nice to focus on people and highlight them,” suggests Elaine, “but I think we need to be doing this more than one month a year.”
This Black History Month gives us the chance to reflect upon inspirational figures worthy of celebration for their shaping of history – with Elaine namechecking many examples, from writers like James Baldwin and Maya Angelou, to singers like Aretha Franklin and Roberta Flack, to political figures like Nelson Mandela – as well as British examples including Diane Abbott, Baroness Patricia Scotland and Floella Benjamin.
“They are all great role models,” suggests Elaine, while also looking to the people who will bring about empowerment, unity and growth in the future. “My daughter and my son are inspirational to me,” says Elaine proudly. “So are my grandchildren. The climate they’re growing up in is better than the one I grew up in, but there’s still a long way to go.”
Hopes for the future
Elaine is particularly mindful of the other Black women in her life, whether family or friends, because of the obstacles they face. “As Black women, we have to double our efforts to be exceedingly good, while working twice as hard as our white counterparts.”
And she holds on to hope for the Black older people affected by the Windrush scandal, who have lived in the UK for decades, most of their lives, but don’t have the documents that confirm their immigration status.
“I just hope that people will carry on with their claims and eventually get some sort of compensation,” says Elaine. “So many people have died along the way, before getting their compensation. And it’s not just the Windrush Scandal. There are other scandals: the Post Office Scandal, Grenfell. These events have affected people of colour.”
