Tears shed for racism 65 years ago

Tears were shed during a service where a church minister publicly apologised to a member of the Windrush Generation who, 65 years ago, was told not to come back after attending a service at St Paul’s in Clapham, south London.

Pentecostal minister The Revd Carmel Jones, then a 17-year-old boy recently arrived from Jamaica, went to the local Anglican Church. At the end of the service on his third visit to the church, the minister thanked him for coming – but asked him not to return.

When the current vicar of St Paul’s, Jonathan Boardman, heard what happened he decided to publicly apologise for the racism Jones experienced 65 years ago.