Wolverhampton is set to celebrate Windrush Day later this month.
The annual event celebrates the contributions that Caribbean migrants and their descendants have made to the UK and Wolverhampton City Council will host a flag-raising ceremony outside the Civic Centre on June 22. On the day, a bust of Mel Chevannes, the city's first African-Caribbean councillor, will be unveiled at Wolverhampton Art Gallery.
Chevannes was elected to the Graiseley Ward in 1981 and served as a councillor for 11 years, later becoming the first African-Caribbean chairperson of The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust. "I am humbled to be honoured by a bronze bust in the city of Wolverhampton, which has been my home for the last 50 years," she said.
"It is truly amazing that this is the first such public recognition in England of a black woman who is very much alive." HMT Empire Windrush docked in Tilbury, Essex, on 22 June 1948, bringing hundreds of passengers from the Caribbean to the UK, who were invited to rebuild post-war Britain.
Wolverhampton mayor Councillor Craig Collingswood said: “The council is delighted to be highlighting and celebrate the impact of the Windrush Generation.
"Everyone is welcome to join us for the flag-raising and the unveiling, and I hope that as many residents as possible are able to come along and help us celebrate Windrush Day 2025." Mel won a by-election for Graisley Ward in 1981 and became the first African-Caribbean councillor in Wolverhampton – before losing her seat in the 1987 Local Elections.
She became chair of the Social Services Committee in 1982 and was also the first African-Caribbean chairperson of the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust. She resigned her post on November 26, 2004.
