It's been 75 years since HMT Empire Windrush arrived in Britain on June 22, 1948, with almost 500 passengers from the Caribbean on board.
But it wasn't the only ship that made the remarkable journey and brought people from the Caribbean to the UK to help with post-War labour shortages and to rebuild its economy.
In 1958, Catherine Ross travelled with her family from St Kitts on the SS Montserrat and she's lived in the UK ever since, going on to start her own family here.
The 72-year-old is the founder and director of Museumand, the National Caribbean Heritage Museum, and has been looking forward to celebrating Windrush Day today, but for a rather heartbreaking reason.
The mum credits Windrush Day, which celebrates the contributions and achievements of the Windrush generation and their descendants, as a time when she can finally be "unashamedly ethnic".
Catherine admitted that she often feels she has to hide her true self as a Black woman in Britain as people often tell her she's "too much" or "too loud" and make other negative assumptions about her, now referred to as microaggressions.
However, on June 22, she will shine as her most authentic self.
"I can be myself. I could dress in loud clothes, I can have my hair in a way that's not English but braided and done in the ways that we would have done traditionally," Catherine told the Mirror.
"I can eat Caribbean food and things like that.
"I can be myself and be unashamedly ethnic because everybody is thinking about the Caribbean anyway, so for me, it's also a celebration of myself."
Catherine's daughter, Lynda-Louise Burrell, agreed with her mother's sentiments and told how she often doesn't feel like she's "allowed" to be herself.
"We don't feel like we can be ourselves, you're not allowed to be Black and it's wrong. Everyone should be allowed to be themselves and be proud of who they are," she said.
"We're always told that we're a bit too loud, as Black people we're always 'a bit too something' and that's usually because of jealousy, or because someone doesn't understand and doesn't want to understand.
"People always want to dance like us, they want to have our big bums, or they fancy our boys, all of that but when it comes to the everyday Black person just living, it's seen as 'bad'.
"If a white girl has braided hair it's cool and trendy, but if I have it, it's not seen as good. You can't go to school or work like that."
The mother and daughter went on to share several other instances of racism they'd experienced over the years, including Lynda being frequently mistaken for the cleaner in her apartment building as she's the only Black woman who lives there, while bank staff have assumed they'd obtained money through illegitimate means when they tried to pay into a savings scheme.
"We've come a long way, don't get me wrong, but we still have a long way to go," Lynda added.
While Catherine and Lynda may not have always felt accepted by everyone, the pair want to stress that Windrush Day is a time for everyone - not just British Caribbean people.
"Windrush Day is all-inclusive, it's not a Black thing, it's not just a Caribbean thing, it's about British history," Lynda asserted.
"It doesn't matter if you're of British or Caribbean descent, this is something we should all be proud of and should all be celebrating as we have a shared history.
"Some people think 'What are you foreigners doing here?', but it's important to remember that we came here to help rebuild Britain after the war. So people should also be giving thanks to those brave pioneers that came here to do that because, without them, we wouldn't have what we do today as a society together.
"The government and the King invited us over as there were lots of jobs that needed to be done that weren't being filled, so we came to that call, which was a noble thing to do.
"We have contributed for a long time."
She added that there are lots of ways to celebrate Windrush Day, with events planned up and down the country.
"There's all sorts going on, all around the country, in your neck of the woods. There's a great website, you can go on to blackhistorymonth.org.uk and onto Windrush75 and you can find some things on those websites, but your local council should have something on," Lynda explained.
"Every city has something going on. So get involved and don't feel that 'Oh, I have to be black or Caribbean to go' as these events are for everybody."
And if you'd rather celebrate and educate yourself about the Windrush generation in the comfort of your own home, then you could always check out the mother and daughter's new podcast, Objeks & Tings.
The new venture, which launches today, is inspired by a book Catherine and Lynda wrote during lockdown, called 70 Objects - based on things that the Windrush generation thought were important for the younger Caribbean community to know about.
The book became a success, with the duo finding themselves constantly being asked about other objects and if they could be added, so they decided to carry it on in podcast form.
Over 12 episodes they will be joined by guests who dive into the significance behind an object that represents their Caribbean heritage and explore the role it played in their British upbringing.
Catherine and Lynda also use their generational historical expertise to shed light on each object’s wider cultural context and relevance in modern-day Britain.
"It's a really fun and enjoyable engaging podcast, and obviously the mother and daughter aspect that always comes into it," Lynda added.
"The fact is it's Caribbean speaking to Caribbean so we go off in rhyme and song and we love quotes and sayings so it's full of those sorts of things as well.
"It's a teachable moment without feeling like you're bored or you're in a museum and it's confirming about your identity.
"A lot of people who perhaps wouldn't want their friends to know who they are or what their real culture is, they can enjoy their culture through us in the privacy of their own home or car."
The podcast will be available on Spotify and other platforms from June 22, with new episodes released weekly.
