Who is Paulette Wilson?
Paulette Wilson was a force to be reckoned with. She spent the first 10 years of her life on the beautiful island of Jamaica. In 1968 her mother sent her to the UK to study. She lived and worked in the UK for the next 50 years.
But in 2016, Paulette received a letter notifying her that she was living in the UK illegally and needed to return to Jamaica. She was one of the thousands of immigrants to the UK that were impacted by the Home Office’s “hostile environment” immigration policy.
Paulette was subsequently arrested and scheduled for deportation. However, she was later released due to an intervention by her MP.
Her decision to speak out against the injustice she experienced was instrumental in shedding light on the now-infamous Windrush Scandal. Her courage inspired a host of others to tell their stories.
Sadly, Paulette Wilson died in 2020 but her legacy continues.