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Sunday the 11th of November, 2018. Windrush Square, Brixton. One hundred years on from the end of the ‘War to End All Wars’, that claimed the lives of 37 million combatants and civilians. Whilst thousands gathered on Whitehall, including Prime Ministers and politicians both old and new, a large crowd gathers around the African and Caribbean War Memorial erected in June 2017 by the Nubian Jak Community Trust.
Amongst those in attendance were some of the exceptional young people who are members of the Lambeth Youth Council (LYC) run by, and for, young people in Lambeth looking to get involved in local politics. It was a fantastic event that brought together both old and young people of the local community, marines and ex-marines, local councillors of all political parties and members of the general public, united by a desire to remember those who we have forgotten. Those that were drafted in from across the British Empire and elsewhere to fight in Europe for Britain and its allies.
The young people of the LYC listened to speeches, songs and poetry both old and new, and stuck around afterwards to engage in interesting discussions about the state of politics in 2018, and why it is so important to remember African and Caribbean soldiers who died for their countries, and the British Empire. The young councillors also took the opportunity to talk to the Conservatives London Mayoral candidate for 2020, Sean Bailey - an ex-marine himself who spoke to them about the issues facing young people in our local community, such as violent crime, rising youth homelessness, lack of social spaces for young people to engage with each other, and the housing crisis. It was both an exciting, and humbling event for the young councillors to attend.
-Written by Dylan Brewerton-Harper (19)