The 1991 uprising in Iraq evolved from a series of spontaneous protests in the south. They began immediately after the Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait on February 28, 1991, and ended in April of the same year. Disenchanted Shi'a in nine provinces in the Iraqi south 'took matters into their own hands' in an attempt to topple the deteriorating regime of Saddam Hussein, but were abandoned by the international community and left to face the brutality of the regime. Hundreds of thousands were killed immediately or simply vanished in Saddam's detention facilities and tens of thousands went to exile. This paper reports on my ongoing research project that aims at capturing the memories of those Iraqis who participated in the uprising, many of whom live in the United States. As someone, who took part in the 1991 uprising, I feel a sense of anxiety as I witness the passing of many years without any serious attempt to document such a momentous event. The paper will explore the trends of the violent activities in the various provinces and the frame of mind that accompanied the popular uprisings. The paper will also examine the coordination, or lack thereof, among the provinces, the nature of leadership and the motivations and aspirations of those who participaterd in the uprising, and the legacy of the uprising on the Shi'a-State relations throughout the 1990s; all through firsthand accounts of the actual participants.