Wolverhampton Windrush campaigner Patrick Vernon appearing on BBC's Great British Railway Journeys
Michael Portillo's Great British Railway Journeys series featuring Wolverhampton and the impact of Enoch Powell's speech Rivers of Blood will be aired next month.
Wolverhampton-born Windrush campaigner Patrick Vernon and several community leaders will appear on the BBC programme which will be aired on July 20.
Mr Portillo, a former Tory MP, visited the Heritage Centre, in Whitmore Reans, which was Mr Powell’s Wolverhampton South West constituency office when he made the speech 55 years ago.
The episode also will see Mr Portillo chatting to Karl Samuels, Alicia Spence, Bishop Llewellyn Graham, Junior Hemans and Professor Mel Chevannes about the significance of Mr Powell's criticism of Commonwealth immigration.
Mr Vernon says: “He said he felt he wanted to demystify the Enoch Powell speech and wanted to clarify it, particularly the impact of the speech as it led to an increase in hate crimes against black people in a particular period.
“It also reinforced the casual policies of segregation, with a specific policy by Wolverhampton Council in the 1960s limiting the number of black and Asian children in school classrooms because of speech given about immigration.
“I said to Michael that one of the reasons we still have such a fascination about it is the way it has influenced politicians across all parties.”
The show will be aired on BBC2 on July 21 at 6.30pm.
