Brixton is a city in the south of London, located within the Borough of Lambeth. The area remained largely undeveloped until the 19^th century, when during the 1860s to the 1890s, it became known as a middle class suburban area. With a railroad linking Brixton to London, in the interwar years, many people were attracted to the area as it had one of the largest retail centres in South London. It wasn't until 1948, after the Second World War when the Windrush generation immigrants coming from the British colonies in the Caribbean, moved to Brixton to find work. Although some returned to the Caribbean, many remained and it showed an important shift in Britain's multicultural societies. In 1998, the square in front of Tate Library was renamed Windrush square in honor of the 50^th anniversary of those who came over from Jamaica to Britain. Windrush square is where Britain placed their memorial for colonial soldiers who fought on the side of allies during the first and second World wars. It wasn't until the 1980's when tensions between the civilian population and the police arose which led to multiple riots throughout the decade. The 1981 riot began due to local police working to try and stop crime but doing so with the sus law, which allowed them to stop and search any individual. They showed a bias to black individuals as the majority who were stopped were African-Caribbean people. Streets marked an important place for the population to riot, as Railton Road shops were looted and cars were overturned and lit on fire. Coldharbour lane was cordoned off by police officers with riot shields to try and limit the damage being caused by the riot. In response to these riots, a mural was painted titled "Children at Play" which showed mixed ethnicities playing together, in hopes to show that there could be amity between everyone. During the 1985 riot, it started with the police shooting a mother due to their suspicion of her son with a supposed firearms offence. This led to multiple arrests from the police, making the Brixton police station of importance, not only to this riot but of the riot prior and afterwards. The police were a symbol of struggle between community and institution. The 1995 riot was initiated due to the death of a black man in police custody, and the community was not happy about the gentrification of Brixton. The riot ended with the congregation of civilians at Ritzy Cinema around Brixton Oval, which was an important social landmark. Today Ritzy Cinema is located in a large retail area, where most people go when visiting Brixton. The riots in Brixton mark an important shift in Britain with an attempt to integrate multicultural societies and also the challenges they faced with institutions and tensions that arose from them.

On this tour, we will visit the following sites:

Windrush Square and African and Caribbean War Memorial

Railton Road

Atlantic Road and Coldharbour Lane

Brixton Mural of Children at Play

Brixton Police Station

Ritzy Cinema in Brixton Oval

The goal of this tour is to show that immigrants to Brixton during the 1950's on faced institutionalized racism, which was a problem faced by minorities throughout the world. The Brixton riots showed that when minorities were pushed to the limit, by prejudices and tensions with the police, economy and politics, violence is bound to happen. We focus on the Brixton riots but it is important to remember that after the Second World War, immigration became an international occurrence and minorities across the world faced the challenges that the Windrush generation faced in Brixton. What we want you to take away from this tour is that the Brixton community faced a lot of challenges throughout the decades, but it is only one example of what can happen to a community under tension, and what can take place today.