Promotional single released to honour Windrush and Commonwealth NHS Nurses and Midwives

The track is called ‘I Have a Song – (The) Remix’ by Nubian Jak and features Eric Roberson, as well as the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir.    

The song lyrics convey what it was like to work within the NHS for Windrush and Commonwealth nurses and midwives, as they faced many challenges they had to overcome. The single also tells the unsung story of these nurses and midwives to a contemporary audience.      

A music video starring Blossom Jackson, herself a retired Windrush generation NHS nurse, has also been released.  

Blossom Jackson said: “I started nursing in 1954 after having left Jamaica and came here as a bushy-eyed schoolgirl. The work that nurses and midwives have done has laid hidden for too long, and it's timely that it is happening now.”     

A fundraiser was announced last month to raise funds to install the statue at the Whittington Hospital. The statue, representing a stylised nurse or midwife, will be unveiled on Monday, 5 July, NHS Day, at the Whittington Hospital.

It is hoped that the release of the single will help to encourage donations to the fundraiser. 

Islington has a long and proud history of fighting for a fairer borough and Challenging Inequality wherever it is found. The council is proud to support this campaign to install a statue at Whittington Hospital which will honour Windrush and Commonwealth nurses and midwives.

The song is available to download via Spotify and iTunes.     

Duwaine Brown and Pauline Foster, from Islington Council’s Black History Working Group, said: "Music is an integral part of Black culture, and ‘I have a song’ is a single that has been written as a form of dedication to this culture.    

“We acknowledge that we must all come together and take a stance for social justice toward equality, equity and inclusion, that’s why we are committed to rewriting the narrative.   

“It is so important that we properly commemorate the incredible contribution that this generation of nurses and midwives has made, and we encourage local people to listen to and share the single to help raise funds for a statue to celebrate their legacy.”  

Dr Jak Beula, Nubian Jak’s founder, said: “We’re delighted to release this single that finally honours the hugely important and positive influence that Windrush and Commonwealth NHS nurses and midwives have had on this country.   

“We hope everyone can take the time to listen to the song and learn more about our history and how indebted we are to this brave generation.”  

A spokesperson for Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust said: “We’re proud that our amazing choir have contributed to this song and helped celebrate the staggering accomplishments of the Windrush generation.

"The Caribbean nurses who arrived from 1948 onwards kept the then-new NHS going, and to this day that generation’s contributions to UK health, culture and so much more are inspirational. Good luck to Nubian Jak and the whole team – we’re all behind you!”