FLOELLA BENJAMIN

Winner at the 2022 Parlimentary Book AwardsBaroness Floella Benjamin is an inspiration, an actress and much-loved children's television presenter who is a member of the House of Lords. But how did the girl from Trinidad end up lunching with the Queen?In What Are You Doing Here? Floella describes arriving in London as a child, part of the Windrush generation, and the pain caused by the racism she encountered every day. It was offset by the love of her parents, who gave her the pride in her heritage, self-belief and confidence that have carried her through life.

When Floella Benjamin first came to England from Trinidad in the early sixties she hadnt seen her parents for fifteen months. At first, the joy of being reunited with her mother left Floella too overwhelmed to care about the cold weather, and the noise and dirt of the traffic in London. Compared to this, Trinidad had been a paradise. But when she started school, Floella was shocked and upset by the taunting and rejection she faced. She soon realized that the only way to survive was to be twice as good as anyone else.