The Small Axe films, created and directed by Steve McQueen, are a British anthology series telling the stories of West Indians living in London during the 1960s and 70s.
The film “Red, White, and Blue” tells the true story of law enforcement officer Leroy Logan. Logan left behind a promising career in science to pursue one on the force. He set out on a mission to change British law enforcement from within.
John Boyega took on the challenge of portraying Leroy’s life on camera. Viewers will see the real life struggles Leroy experienced while being a part of the Metropolitan Police. Leroy worked on building the bridge, bringing representation and being aware of the inequality within law enforcement. Audiences will see the struggles Leroy experienced racism from his fellow cops and discomfort and at times disappointment by his own community.
Within Leroy Logan’s thirty year career he was able to be a founding member of the Black Police Association and later founded VOYAGE, a social justice charity that seeks to empower Black youth and strengthen youth and community relationships with law enforcement.
For Leroy being able to work with Steve McQueen and to have John Boyega portray him in film was a match made in heaven. The timing of the episode release aligns with the September 17, 2020 release of his autobiography Closing Ranks: My Life as a Cop and the rise of attention to the Black Lives Matter movement which Leroy is a supporter of. Leroy looks at the future of law enforcement for the UK and here in the United States with optimism and with hopes for change.
The Small Axe series will show the diverse and rich lives of West Indians in the United Kingdom while also highlighting British Black history. The series builds the diasporic bridge between the United States and the United Kingdom showing that our realities are more alike than we think.
