The racist murder of Stephen Lawrence led to a profound and lasting impact on attitudes to race in Britain. On the 30th anniversary of his death, some people are asking themselves how far that change really went.
Gaverne Bennett, the author and creator of Black Literature Timeline, a project for the British Library, remembers Lawrence’s murder well. It was hard on the heels of the killing of Rolan Adams, a black 15-year-old who was murdered in a racist attack in February 1991, and people had had enough.
“It was that grim determination – apart from the heroism of the Lawrence family – that was one of the elements that created the pressure for the Macpherson report. The release of Mandela at that time only strengthened the resolve to see justice for Stephen Lawrence. It taught me that it is possible for the clock of progress to go forward or backwards and the direction of each hand on that clock can lie in our hands sometimes.”
Joanna Ayres, 55, who works part-time for a student union advice team in Derby, spoke of her shock at the brutality of Lawrence’s murder when she first heard of it. She was 25 and had thought of London as a multicultural area. “The behaviour of the people who did it was reprehensible. I remember thinking how dignified his parents were when interviewed and how dreadful the situation was for them. Mostly, I felt very sad that such racism still persists and does to this day. I now have a son who is nearly 18 and as a parent myself it now feels even worse.”
One 33-year-old in Epsom, Surrey, who works in diversity and inclusion and wished to remain anonymous, said: “It’s a voice in the back of the head telling you that the police don’t work for you, that they aren’t on your side and they won’t keep you safe. Cases like Sarah Everard compound this.”
They added: “I work in diversity and inclusion and I applied for a job at the Met last year, for a role as a senior culture adviser, thinking I could help it change. I love the powerful voice of Dame Louise Casey, calling out wrongdoing whenever she sees it. The day before the interview, the Child Q case made headlines. I withdrew my application immediately. The Met is not for me, not for my family, not for my friends. The pull of working with Dame Casey isn’t enough. I see the sadness in Doreen Lawrence’s eyes. It’s all intertwined.”
The comments echo the findings of a joint report by the Runnymede Trust thinktank and the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation that analysed how British attitudes had shifted in the last 30 years. The report cites data from the British Social Attitudes Survey showing that although people feel the world around them is becoming more hateful and prejudiced, people’s own attitudes are shifting in a much more positive trajectory.
The report, titled Dear Stephen: Race and Belonging 30 Years On, notes that young people around Stephen’s age, 18, have a clear grasp on the issues their communities face, and have developed powerful bonds and strategies for navigating a society that has not progressed enough on the issue of race.
Dr Halima Begum, the Runnymede Trust chief executive, said: “Stephen and I were born within a year of each other and, inevitably, I find myself regularly thinking of the life that was stolen from him so brutally. I joined the huge march in Welling [south-east London] after his murder, and it’s one of those moments I will never forget – people from all walks of life and every background coming out on to the street to say, ‘No more prejudice, enough is enough’.
“Thirty years on, this is a hugely symbolic moment for us as a nation to take stock. We have made considerable progress on the path to achieving racial equality which, in no small part [is] a direct legacy of Stephen’s death. But we also take this moment to be absolutely clear that racism, however it manifests itself, has not gone away. In its most extreme forms, 30 years after Stephen had his life taken from him, racism still remains a matter of life and death in our country. This was particularly true of young people.”
In her foreword to the report, Lawrence’s mother, Doreen Lawrence, said: “This important contribution to Stephen’s legacy at the 30th anniversary of his death reveals the points of hope and connection in our communities, particularly for young people who, like Stephen, have ambitions to become the architects of a more equitable future. Their resilience and determination to create change underscore the importance of fostering a sense of belonging and understanding. Through their collective strength, they are actively reshaping the world for the better.”
