A London diaspora district remembers a queen — ambivalently

LONDON (AP) — In a church in a West London district known locally as Little India, a book of condolence for Queen Elizabeth II lies open. Five days after the monarch’s passing, few have signed their names.

The congregation of 300 is made up largely of the South Asian diaspora, like the majority of the estimated 70,000 people living in the district of Southall, a community tucked away in London's outer reaches of London and built on waves of migration that span 100 years.

First came the Welsh coal miners, then the Irish. Then, after World War II's devastation, an influx of Afro-Caribbeans and Indians settled in Southall. The latter remained for decades: Heeding calls from the monarchy to former colonies to help plug widespread labor shortages, they carried vouchers that secured their passage. In doing so, they helped steer Britain away from economic ruin.

Now, for some in Southall, the queen's death has re-opened the old wounds of a complicated history.

The district 's experiences mirror those in other London diaspora communities with colonial pasts. An older generation maintains a deep respect for the late monarch and the opportunity to prosper in Britain. But young people are unsure; they struggle to reconcile their identity as Brits with the brutal colonialism that upended the lives of their forebears. They demand a reckoning with the past.

Then there are the ambivalent — families hit hard by COVID-19, Britain’s energy crisis and inflation following Brexit. They express respect for the late queen but struggle to see the relevance of royalty in their daily toil.

“What’s the monarchy got to do with us?” Ranjit Singh, 45, said outside a butcher shop where he has worked for 10 years. “There was a queen, she is dead, another one will take her place. What more is there...