Afro-Caribbean Community in Birmingham

Where they come from

Afro-Caribbean Brummies trace their roots to Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, St Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, Dominica and other Caribbean nations, and beyond them to Africa. The Windrush generation arrived from the late 1940s, and families settled in Handsworth, Lozells, Aston and across the city.

The community in numbers

At the 2021 Census, out of a city population of 1,144,919, 59,712 Birmingham residents described their ethnic group as Black Caribbean; and 25,119 Birmingham residents described their ethnic group as White and Black Caribbean.

Working for Birmingham

The first generation kept the buses running, staffed the hospitals and worked in the factories. Today Afro-Caribbean Brummies are doctors, nurses, teachers, lawyers, entrepreneurs, artists, athletes, police officers and councillors, and the community has produced leaders in every walk of life.

Birmingham grew rich as the city of a thousand trades, and that spirit of making and doing is still strong. Today the trades sit alongside healthcare, education, finance, law, logistics and technology. The Afro-Caribbean community brings energy to that mix, from people starting small businesses to those caring for patients, teaching in classrooms and keeping homes and workplaces in good repair.

Culture and community life

Birmingham has made a big contribution to reggae, with Steel Pulse from Handsworth among its pioneers, and the poet Benjamin Zephaniah was raised in the city. Pentecostal and other churches are central to community life, and carnival, Windrush Day and Black History Month are celebrated with pride.

For anyone who wants to learn more, the best introduction is the simplest one: say hello. Birmingham's communities are at their best when they meet, share food and learn from one another, and the Afro-Caribbean community is a warm part of that everyday exchange.