“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” A quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. about the Civil Rights Movement and the treatment of Black and other non-white people, this has always stuck with me. While my social media isn’t full of pro-revolutionary thoughts and posts, I stand with marginalized people. I say this to introduce “We Rise,” an anthemic song created by “grandchildren of the Windrush Generation.” It’s an incredible song, one that speaks on racism, classism and government neglect.

For those who are like me and weren’t as privy to this bit of history, I’ll try my damnedest to sum it up without rambling,

The Windrush Generation, named such after one of the first ships to brought West Indian immigrants to the UK, are a group of Black Caribbean immigrants and first-generation British citizens between the 1940s and 1970s. These folks were, legally, British. However, it was revealed in 2018 that during this generation and afterwards, government forces wrongly detained, imprisoned, deported and denied legal rights (including employment in some cases) to a large group of Windrush Generation immigrants. These immigrants were, in so many words, told “if you leave, you’re not a citizen anymore and will be treated as ‘illegal’.”

Essentially, the UK’s immigration laws towards Windrushers were racist AF and an entire generation of people suffered due to them. People lost jobs–and their freedom(s)–because of the way the immigration laws were during this period and even to this day. In some ways, the revelation of these miscues and racist practices were like Britain’s Juneteenth. Given how many targeted were considered British nationals or people who were treated as less than your “average” citizen due to government policies and intentional miscommunication, the parallels are there.

On “We Rise,” the collective of Elarbe, Dreamz, Jayemm and Cstar speak as descendants of the Windrush generation. Not content with things just remaining as they are, the quartet implores those around them to change the world. I’m here for that sort of energy. After all, we can al do better to protect marginalized people. The song itself is powerful and touches on a lot of points Black people deal with, specifically in the UK. It’s a song that delves into how the British government has set up many of its Black denizens to fail because of systemic racism. So how do we combat that? We, as a group, band together, demand change and make it forcefully if push comes to shove. Again, injustice anywhere breeds injustice everywhere.

Check out the powerful song and visuals below and support dope music in all its forms.