Andrew Lee was born in 1940 in Sussex by the sea.
From 1958 to 1962, he studied German and French at Leeds University. During 1960–61, he spent a year in Germany teaching English.
Between 1963 and 1965, he taught German, French, and Games at Audenshaw Grammar School in Manchester. In 1965, he married Jane. From 1965 to 1970, he worked at Huntingdon Boys’ School in Nottingham, where he taught English, Mathematics, Football, and other subjects. During this period, he and Jane had two sons.
In 1971, Andrew began working for Swindon Council for Community Relations, which later became the Thamesdown Race Equality Council. He remained in this role until 1978. His work included supporting the resettlement of families from Uganda and later from Chile. He also advised on immigration, welfare, housing, education, and employment issues. He took the first case from Swindon to the Employment Tribunal in Bristol and also represented a benefits case at the National Insurance Tribunal in London. Andrew reported on the practice of red-lining terraced housing and successfully challenged a colour bar at a local Working Men’s Club.
From 1978 to 1998, he worked for the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) in Birmingham, covering the West Midlands and Wales. In this role, he assisted with formal investigations into Walsall Housing Department, the Midland Red Bus Company, and employers in Cardiff. He promoted equal opportunity policies with employers and handled significant casework, including the Bernard Manning case and cases involving West Midlands Police. He also provided support to local Race Equality Councils.
In 1998, Andrew set up BRADICAL to provide advice on race discrimination, a role he continued until 2025. Alongside this, he volunteered at the Afro-Caribbean Resource Centre, the Aston Legal Centre, and the West Midlands Low Pay Unit. He also worked as an employment caseworker at Worcester Race Equality Council and Northern Complainant Aid. In addition, he was appointed as a lay member of Employment Tribunals.
When asked how real change happens, Andrew says:
“Change comes about, not because someone writes a letter, but through organisation and community strength.”
