Nadine White

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Nadine White
Born (1992-10-22) 22 October 1992 (age 32)
Brixton, London, England
Education University College London
OccupationJournalist
Employer The Independent

Nadine White (born 22 October 1992) [1] is a multi-award-winning British journalist and filmmaker. In March 2021 she joined The Independent as the first dedicated race correspondent in UK journalism. [2]

Contents

White is the director of the award-winning documentary Barrel Children: The Families Windrush Left Behind, [3] which explores the legacy of Caribbean migration to the United Kingdom. She is also the founder of Brixton Heights, a production company dedicated to amplifying Black British stories through media, education and cultural programming.

Early life and education

White was born in 1992 in London, England, growing up in Brixton with her Jamaican parents. [4] She has two brothers. [5] She attended south London schools before graduating from University College London, where she studied English Literature. [6] She subsequently did NCTJ training at News Associates, London. [7]

Career

She worked as a journalist for The Voice newspaper, the Weekly Gleaner UK , [4] and for the HuffPost between 2013 and 2021, leading coverage around race, [8] before joining The Independent as that newspaper's Race Correspondent. [9]

In January 2021, White was accused on Twitter by UK government equalities minister Kemi Badenoch of undermining trust in the COVID-19 vaccination programme, charges that White denied. [10] The accusations came after White sent emails to Badenoch's press office as part of her research for a story. [5] [11]

Recognition and awards

White's work has been shortlisted for awards including, in 2018, the Hugh Cudlipp Student Journalism Prize, [12] and an Amnesty Media Award. [13] She was also the first black reporter to be shortlisted for the Paul Foot Award, [14] together with Emma Youle for their SPAC Nation expose. [15] [16]

In 2020, White won a Mischief + MHP 30 To Watch: Young Journalist Award, [17] and also in 2020 won the inaugural Paulette Wilson Windrush Award, from the Windrush Caribbean Film Festival. [18] [19]

In April 2021, White was included by Forbes magazine on their annual 30 Under 30 list of "young visionary leaders brashly reinventing business and society". [20] [21] [22] In October 2021, she was named on BBC Radio 1Xtra Future Figures list as one of 29 individuals, groups, and organisations from across the United Kingdom who are "Making Black History Now". [23]

In November 2021, White was appointed as a Visiting Industry Fellow at Birmingham City University. [24] - a position she continues to hold as of April 2025.

Documentaries

In 2023, White made her directorial debut with Barrel Children: The Families Windrush Left Behind, a feature-length and self-produced documentary exploring the untold stories of Caribbean children who were left behind when their parents migrated to the United Kingdom during the Windrush era. [25] These children – often referred to as "barrel children" after the barrels and parcels of goods sent back to them - experienced years of separation from their families. The film presents first-hand accounts of this experience and examines the emotional and psychological effects of long-distance parenting and fragmented families within Caribbean diaspora communities.

Barrel Children was released in June 2023 and premiered as one of the UK's top-performing independent films during its opening week. [26] It received critical acclaim for its poignant storytelling and social impact, including a glowing review by labour Party MP Diane Abbott, who called it a "great debut" and "an extensively researched and moving account of the children of the Windrush generation separated from their parents". [27] The documentary was screened across the United Kingdom, the Caribbean and the United States, and has been credited with widening public understanding of Caribbean migration histories beyond the traditional Windrush narrative.

In 2024, White became the first woman to receive the Menelik Shabazz Prize at the Windrush Caribbean Film Festival, an award that honours a trailblazing filmmaker of Caribbean heritage. The previous recipient of the prize was Adjani Salmon, creator of the BBC series Dreaming Whilst Black [28]

White has also directed and produced several shorter films exploring race, identity and inequality.

Published works

White has contributed chapters to two notable anthologies exploring race, identity, and lived experience in contemporary Britain.

In 2021, she was a contributor to Black British Lives Matter, a bestselling essay collection edited by Lenny Henry and Marcus Ryder. The book features leading Black British voices from across media, the arts, politics and academia. Alongside White, contributors include Doreen Lawrence, David Olusoga and Leroy Logan. White's chapter draws from her work as a journalist reporting on race, inequality and institutional accountability.

She also contributed to Still Breathing: 100 Black Voices on Racism – 100 Ways to Change the Narrative, edited by Suzette Llewellyn and Suzanne Packer. The anthology gathers intergenerational Black British voices to reflect on racism, resistance, and the path forward. Contributors include Trevor Phillips, Judith Jacob, Bonnie Greer and David Lammy. White’s chapter offers a personal and professional perspective grounded in her experiences navigating the UK media landscape.

References

  1. White, Nadine (1 August 2020). "Black British TV Shows Are Still Missing From Our Screens". HuffPost. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  2. Tobitt, Charlotte (2 March 2021). "Independent appoints Nadine White as title's first race correspondent". Press Gazette . Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  3. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28290786/?ref_=ra_gb_ln
  4. 1 2 Korney, Stephanie (2021). "Forbes Names Journalist of Jamaican Descent One of Most Influential People in Europe". Jamaicans.com.
  5. 1 2 White, Nadine (5 February 2021). "'Kemi Badenoch violated me, assaulted the free press and still refuses to apologise'". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  6. "Writer's Profile | Nadine White". The National Student . Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  7. "Investigative reporting HuffPost UK reporter Nadine White tells us how it felt to expose one of the biggest stories of the year" (PDF). NCTJ Careers Guide 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  8. "Nadine White | News reporter, HuffPost UK". HuffPost. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  9. "Nadine White appointed as Race Correspondent". Independent Advertising. 15 September 2021.
  10. Walker, Peter; Archie Bland (29 January 2021). "Minister under fire over tweets about journalist who sent her questions". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  11. Walker, Peter (1 February 2021). "No 10 defends minister who criticised HuffPost journalist on Twitter". The Guardian.
  12. "About Last Night: The Hugh Cudlipp Journalism Prize Lecture (2018)". Nadine Writes. 22 March 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  13. "Amnesty Media Awards 2019 finalists announced". Amnesty International UK. 27 February 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  14. "Nadine White: Council Member". The Media Society. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  15. "Nadine White". The Centre for Investigative Journalism (CIJ). Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  16. White, Nadine; Emma Youle (3 April 2020). "SPAC Nation Scandal: Church Fighting Knife Crime Fails To Act On Rogue Pastors Flourishing In Its Ranks". HuffPost. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  17. "Former winners" (PDF). 30 To Watch Young Journalist Awards 2021. ENGINE MHP + Mischief. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  18. "Nadine White". Black Heroes Foundation. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  19. "Huff post Journalist Nadine White wins Paulette Wilson Windrush Award: Watch Award Video Here". Alt A Review. 10 November 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  20. "Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe 2021 | Media & Marketing". Forbes.
  21. "Yomi Adegoke and other Black Brits honoured on Forbes 30 under 30 list". The Voice. 8 April 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  22. "Journalist of J'can heritage named to Forbes list". Jamaica Gleaner. 1 May 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  23. "SO2 – October 10". Jamaica Observer . 10 October 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  24. "UK's first Race Correspondent lands key university role". Birmingham City University, Institute of Media and English. 23 November 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  25. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/my-dad-one-90000-forgotten-30294723
  26. https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20230829/windrush-documentary-barrel-children-uk-box-office-hit
  27. https://www.politicshome.com/thehouse/article/diane-abbott-reviews-barrel-children
  28. https://alt-africa.com/2023/07/03/windrush-caribbean-film-awards-2023-1st-menelik-shabazz-award-goes-to-adjani-salmon-in-partnership-with-alt-a-review-hosted-by-judith-jacob/