Sutara – '81 Uprisings

Sutara – '81 Uprisings

From A Mile in My Shoes by Empathy Museum

June 2, 2026 · 11 min · Season 6 · Episode 9

About this episode

Sutara shares their experience during the 1981 uprisings in Brixton and the broader implications for Black British empowerment and social justice.

Sutara’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…

People in this episode

Guest: Sutara

Topics covered

  • Black British empowerment
  • social justice
  • 1981 uprisings
  • racism
  • police reform
  • community stories

Keywords

  • Brixton
  • 1981 uprisings
  • Black communities
  • Met Police
  • social justice
  • racism
  • economic recession
  • unemployment

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: 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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