Description
- Abstract:
- Interview with Jimi Jagne on Liverpool 8 activism, Rastafarian culture, police racism and the 1981 uprising; community institutions and sound-system life; family heritage and learning about slavery (from Roots) to Liverpool’s role; reflections on legacies of slavery/colonialism, freedom and capitalism, and the cultural importance of Carnival (incl. tributes to figures such as Mango Dan). The views and opinions expressed by the speaker(s) do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the Global Curatorial Project, Brown University, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, or the project's institutional partners. For questions or concerns please contact library staff at [email protected] or +1-401-863-2146.
- Notes:
- Immediate form of acquisition: A2025-025
- Biographical/historical note: Jimi Jagne is of Chinese and Gambian heritage born in Liverpool. Jimi Jagne is a Community Activist from Liverpool 8. As a teenager, he joined other local people in defending the community’s streets, against National Front marchers in 1980 and then the police, during the major Uprising rebellion of 1981. Jimi was also an active Anti-Apartheid campaigner during the 1980s, participating in local boycotts, pickets and demonstrations. He, most notably, led a local student campaign demanding complete divestment of University of Liverpool’s investments in apartheid trading companies. Having worked extensively with children and young people, Jimi has provided mentoring and educational support, particularly those from Liverpool 8, while working with various schools and local organisations, including Aimhigher’s the REACHing High Black Boys mentoring programme. He was also a co-founder of Toxteth Against the Riots (TAR) in response to the threat of street disturbances posed by outside agitators, during the summer of 2011. He is now a committed anti-racism campaigner and especially concerned with institutional racism at local authority level, particularly in policing practice, policy and culture. Jimi is most widely known for the substantial time he has devoted over several decades to discussing the history and significance of the ’81 Uprising. He has been particularly concerned with challenging the prevailing narrative that describes the events of that summer as essentially criminal and mindlessly violent rather than being recognised as a seminal moment in Black British resistance and community defence against systemic racism. To this end, Jimi has written comprehensively on Black Liverpool’s profound but neglected history of resisting racism, community empowerment and self-determination, including the publication of ‘1981: Black Liverpool Past And Present’ [Serendipity Institute for Black Arts & Heritage, 2022], co-authored with Stephen Small, former Professor in African American Studies at University of California – Berkeley.
- Jimi Jagne Oral History Interview, Global Curatorial Project: Unfinished Conversations oral histories and records, Ms.2022.010, Brown University Library
- Digital object made available by: Brown University Library, John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts, Box A, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912, U.S.A., (http://library.brown.edu/)
Access Conditions
- Use and Reproduction
- The duplication and reproduction of materials in this collection outside of Brown University, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and project partner institutions requires the written consent from the interviewee or their assignee. Please contact the John Hay Library at [email protected] or +1401-863-2146 with any inquires.
- Rights
- This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
- Restrictions on Use
- Collection is open for research.
Citation
Brown University. Ruth J Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice, International Slavery Museum, and National Museum of African American History and Culture (U.S.),
"Jimi Jagne Oral History Interview"
(2025).
GCP Liverpool.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://repository.library.brown.edu/studio/item/bdr:3skkw9b7/
Relations
Has Parts:
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Jimi Jagne Oral History Interview
- Type: Stream
- Order: 1
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Jimi Jagne Transcript
- Type: Transcript
- Order: 1a
