Dear all,

I am a final year history student at the University of London, currently writing a dissertation on the impact of East African, and in particular Ugandan, Asian refugees upon the various communities in which they settled.

Following expulsion from Africa, the British government names some areas of the country ‘red areas’ (largely due to them already having a sizeable ethnic community) and the refugees were discouraged from going there. Of course, not knowing anyone in the United Kingdom, many of the East African Asians did flock to areas like Brent and Leicester where they utilized community support to reestablish themselves.

The main focus of my study is to compare the experiences of resettlement for both the refugee and host communities between these so called ‘red’ and ‘green’ areas.

The Grunwick dispute, which was sparked by disgruntled East African Asian workers, was one example of what the refugees faced in Brent.

Can anyone suggest any other defining events or people that characterized the experience for the immigrants in this part of London during that time?

Any guidance on documents to inspect or people to speak to would be much appreciated.

Kind regards,

Rickin Majithia.