Lee – '81 Uprisings

Lee – '81 Uprisings

From A Mile in My Shoes by Empathy Museum

April 28, 2026 · 11 min · Season 6 · Episode 6

About this episode

Lee shares his story about the 1981 uprisings in Black communities across England.

Lee’s story. Produced by Jaja Muhammad. In 1981, Black communities in Brixton rose up in bloody confrontation with the Met Police – against a backdrop of racism, severe economic recession and high unemployment. They followed on from similar events in Bristol the year before, and the summer of ‘81 brought further uprisings across England – including in Liverpool, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. It was a critical moment in the movement for social justice in Britain, leading to landmark recommendations for police reform and local regeneration policies, as well as, crucially, a new sense of Black British empowerment. A Mile in My Shoes: 81 Uprisings  brings together stories from people who were there at the time, and who felt the reverberations through homes, streets, and communities across the country – in ways we all still live with today. Each storyteller has donated a pair of their shoes, which you are invited to step into for an empathic journey that might change how you see the world. Produced by The Empathy Museum and  created with 81 Acts of Exuberant Defiance and the The Ubele Initiative, this series was made possible by the National Heritage Lottery Fund. Hosted…

People in this episode

Guest: Lee

Topics covered

  • social justice
  • Black British empowerment
  • racism
  • police reform
  • community stories
  • historical events

Keywords

  • Brixton
  • uprisings
  • social justice
  • Black empowerment
  • police reform
  • 1981
  • community

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Empathy Museum, The Empathy Museum, 81 Acts of Exuberant Defiance, The Ubele Initiative, National Heritage Lottery Fund

Places: Brixton, England, Bristol, Liverpool, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds

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