Black People's Day of Action 1981: Reflections

This event is organised by Black History Walks as part of 60 Years Since 1965 the first ever Race Relations Act, and 20 years of the African Odysseys film series

On Monday March 2nd 1981 20,000 people marched from New Cross to Hyde Park corner to protest against the state's reaction to the deaths of 13 young black people in a house fire in New Cross on 18th January 1981.

It was the biggest mobilisation of Black people in history and a massive organisational success for grassroots bodies at a time of blatant racism and physical attacks.

Full coaches came down from Bradford, Manchester and Birmingham. Thousands started the march as it set off from New Cross and thousands more joined in along the way, including school children who ran out of class to participate.

Both anniversaries are typically ignored by mainstream media. On this day, the closest Saturday to the actual anniversary, we will have session of archive videos, rare interviews, original news coverage and testimony from some of the people involved in the march. Special guests include; Leila Hassan Howe, Terry Jervis, Gary Collins, Nadia Denton and others. More information below.

We will cover:

• Life for Black people in the 1980s
• Organising the march, advance planning and collaboration
• Why that particular route ? What did people discuss while wallking?
• The Blackfriars Bridge incident where the march was blocked by the police despite being agreed, in writing, in advance , with the police
• Downing street visit and press reaction
• Media, history and film distribution
• Education and the national curriculum
• 1981 race.migration politics compared to 2026 Plus Q&A

There is rarely any national recognition of the anniversaries of the march or the fire. There are some permanent public displays to recognise the events all initiated by the community. Here is a list of them with links/images below.

• Charlie Collins, owner of the Four Aces nightclub in Dalston, Hackney originally had 13 trees planted in the grounds of the club in 1981, his son Steve had died in the fire. The trees did not survive the redevelopment of Dalston Square. The site is now a library and his other son, Gary has recently organised a memorial garden in front of the library.
• Film director Menelik Shabbaz went on the march with hand held cameras and film reel sourced from his own efforts (there are no camera phones in 1981, expensive film reel had to be bought by the foot, loaded into from special cameras and then once exposed had to beconverted in a laboratory, then edited by hand)This is the only documentary shot on the march and is an important historical record. His daughter Nadia Denton will be on one of the panels.
• Billboards with photos and text on the north end of Blackfriars bridge organised by Tideway in association with Black History walks in October 2021. They will be present until the new supersewer is completed
• Nubian Jak blue plaque on the house at 439 New Cross Road, unveiled in 2011
• A memorial was unveiled in Hackney Downs Park in 2024. Organised by Gary Collins, the New Cross Fire Foundation and the OGYG group . It includes an information board, three benches with plaques and several trees. Watch video HERE
• A mural and information board on Cumming Up restaurant, 265 New Cross road sponsored by owner Richard Simpson, was unveiled in January 2022
• A commemorative bench in Fordham park
• A stained glass window designed by Nicola Hopwood in St Andrew's church in Brockley
• John La Rose one of the main organisers of the march, has a street named after him in Haringey. Sybil Phoenix OBE and Baroness Ros Howell were also key figures.
• There is a Nubian Jak blue plaque to Darcus Howe at 167 Railton Road, Brixton which was the headquarters of the Race Today Collective staffed by Layla Hussein Howe. Jean Ambrose, Michael Cadette, Farukh Dhondy, Patricia Dick, Claudius Hilliman, Linton Kwesi Johnson. The venue acted as an administrative hub for the march planning.You can watch them discussing the march with Professor Kehinde Andrews in 2021 HERE

This was originally planned as a whole day event for March 2025 at the British Film Institute in 2025 but the BFI cancelled the unique,educational, anti-racist, African Odysseys film programme despite 17,500 signatures in support of the series.

African Odysseys had championed the work of Menelik Shabbaz for 20 years.Prior to African Odysseys creation in 2007 the BFI refused to screen his films. African Odysseys made sure to host a season of his films and premeried 'The Story of Lovers Rock' and 'Looking for Love' to full houses..

About African Odysseys

The volunteer-run, African Odysseys film programme screens educational, popular, anti-racist, films with Q&A's . It regularly filled the BFI Southbank 450 seater at 2pm on Saturdays when cinemas are typically 'dead'.The British Film Institute refused to answer 8 simple questions or meet the volunteers, then cancelled the programme so they could 'cut costs and promote diversity' HERE

African Odysseys continues to show films across London as can be seen HERE

• Black History Steam train tour
• Black History Bus Tour/ River Cruise
• Hackney, Mayfair, St Paul'/Bank, Theatreland and Soho Black History Walks
• African Odysseys, Racism in Academia and @BFI Southbank
• Teaching Black British history in China with Professor Deidre Osborne
• Ishmahil Blagrove season of films and books
• Frantz Fanon weekender
• 60 years of Black British Civil Rights, racism @BFI with Professor Gus John
• Kung Fu and anti-racist street fighters with Professor Lez Henry
• World Wars and Black soldiers. African Odysseys @BFI with Professor Patrick Vernon
• 60 years of Black history Success Stories 1-20
• Sign petition to save African Odysseys and Black film history at BFI Southbank HERE

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