ABOUT 81 acts
INTRO
In April 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. A year before, Bristol had seen similar uprisings and the summer of ‘81 saw further serious uprisings in Liverpool, Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester. It was a critical moment in the movement for social justice in Britain, leading to landmark recommendations for police reform and local regeneration policies.
Forty years later we invite you to revisit this moment and ask what has changed since April 1981. Working collaboratively, we are bringing individuals, community groups and organisations together to create events and activities that explore the issues at stake and learn from this history of struggle.
We will do this by telling the stories of the defiantly exuberant acts of ‘81 from the people who did them.Beginning with creative calls to action on the old front line of Brixton, Railton Road, Acts of Exuberant Defiance will come together over the year and across the country to imagine, experiment and create new futures that include us all.
HUMANiFESTO
Our Humanifesto guides us
Six themes:
RESPECT. a tribute to fallen and future activists.
RESIST.
exploring strategies of resistance.
REFORM. calls to Action.
REGROUP & RENEW. exploring collective agency and the subversive act of togetherness.
INSIGHT / INCITE. gaining insight into the events of 81 and exploring the action that this incites.
An evolving Theory of Change
Who’s Behind This?
Builders
Tony Cealy is a drama practitioner and creative producer who makes work designed to provoke audiences to think about issues that are important for social change.
He is the Founder, Director & Producer of 492 Korna Klub the UK’s only weekly improvised radio drama exploring social issues amongst the black community.
Catch TC on the Uprising Weekend where he will be taking a walk down memory lane to reminisce about how he felt what he did 40 years ago to this day!
Join him in a fun and healing experience on Instagram, Facebook & YouTube live at 5pm
My working background is various in arts projects and programmes management.
Former Deputy Mayor of London and one of the UK’s leading black community/civil and human rights activists.
Lee is a former Chair of Mangrove Community Association, co-founder of Operation Black Vote, Co-founder of Blaksox, the social movement, strategic adviser to Black Men 4 Change and Black Impact (national African and Caribbean Student Network) and Chair of Community Policing Framework Projects Steering Group.
He is an international political, organisational and policy management consultant
Project Manager. Ubele Initiative-UK.
Background in youth & community work London. Community cultural heritage tourism experiences in the Caribbean.
Brixtonista, squatter, teacher, film maker, explorer, grandmother
Chloe Osborne is an artist, agitator and creative producer who creates participatory and interventionist art projects which seek to reinforce social bonds.
Chloe supports organisations and institutions to (re)think about their invitations and holds up mirrors which enable people to re-see the how’s and whys of their work.
She also spends time poking dinosaurs – to surface and call attention to the core challenges facing the creative and cultural sector.
Co-Director The Change Collective | Creative Strategist Sour Lemons | Co-Director | Co-Author Tricky Balancing Acts & Experiments In Togetherness
Artist & filmmaker
Project Management Consultant- SN Management, Strategic Manager for Code 7 Ltd, Project Manager for SmartKid UK, SWIM- Strength Within Me, Aleto Foundation & Co-Founder of We Rock Ltd.
Partners
THE BRIXTON PROJECT
UBELE INITIATIVE
BRIXTON HOUSE THEATRE
RAW MATERIALS
HOOD MENTALITY
LIFT
BIGKIDS FOUNDATION
LONDON METROPOLITAN ARCHIVES
198 CONTEMPORARY ARTS AND LEARNING
MUSEUMAND – NATIONAL CARIBBEAN HERITAGE MUSEUM
BLACK CULTURAL ARCHIVES
EMPATHY MUSEUM
UNITED FRIENDS AND FAMILY CAMPAIGN
ADVOCACY ACADEMY
LONGFIELD HALL
BUREAU OF SILLY IDEAS
ASWARM
APPLES AND SNAKES
BORDER CROSSINGS
THE BRIXTON POUND
DECOLONISED NETWORKING
WE RISE
MESMER
BRIXTON BLOG
CODE 7
THE BLACK MEN’S CONSORTIUM
BRIXTON ROAD YOUTH CENTRE
BRIXTON SOCIETY
THE LLOYD LEON COMMUNITY
DOMINO CLUB
BRIXTON SOUP KITCHEN
JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
Sign up so we can keep you up to date with what’s happening.