Each generation of migrant communities, living in former colonial powers, produces individuals who bring significant change and hope for the future in the fight against institutional racism. During this event, we will screen episode 3 of the critically acclaimed series Small Axe, by Steve McQueen. The episode, titled Red, White and Blue, follows Leroy Logan, founder of the Black Police Officers Association, and is set in Britain from the 1960s to the 2000s. After this episode, we will hold an open discussion with the audience and speakers about the current safety and relationship between our communities and the police.
Synopsis ‘Red, White and Blue’
This British true story episode Red, White and Blue focuses on Leroy Logan, chairman of the Black Police Association and a former police superintendent. As a studious young man, Logan was deeply affected by witnessing his father being assaulted by two white police officers. Deciding to leave behind his career as a research scientist, he joined the Metropolitan Police in the early 80s with the hope of changing racist attitudes and modelling better ways to engage with Black people and communities of other cultures.
Upset at his choice to work for the police force, which had caused so much violence in their community, tensions grew between Logan and his family. Witnessing firsthand the rampant racism within the Met, as well as being victim to racial attacks by his own colleagues, Logan’s plans to change the institution from within became more complicated than he initially thought. Containing strong language and acts of racism, this is a brutal yet very valuable retelling of an important era in British history.
