The University of Bedfordshire is pleased to announce campaigner and social justice advocate Doreen Lawrence, Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon, OBE as host of our latest ‘An Evening With’ public lecture on Tuesday 3rd October 2023, delivering a talk titled ‘A Legacy of Hope and Change’
Baroness Doreen Lawrence has spent her life tirelessly campaigning to create an equal and fair society after rising to prominence following the murder of her son Stephen in a racist attack in London in 1993.
Through her campaign work, Baroness Lawrence has advocated for many causes close to her heart including reforms to the police service and tackling societal and institutional racism. She has inspired millions to help in the fight against racial inequality in the UK.
Following 22 years as the Founding Director and President of the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, Baroness Lawrence stepped down to establish the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation in January 2020 which is the only charity that bears his name.
This year marks the 30th anniversary since Stephen’s senseless killing and this event will honour Stephen’s legacy while hearing from Baroness Lawrence about the events which have shaped her life and career.
A Q&A session hosted by the University’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Rebecca Bunting, will follow the lecture. This talk is sure to be an insightful and thought-provoking look into the current state of equality in the UK and what we can do to better our society, so sign up today so you don’t miss out.
This event is free to attend and open to the public.
Please also join us after the lecture for drinks and light refreshments, where there will be the opportunity to meet Baroness Lawrence.
What will the lecture be about?
This talk, titled ‘A Legacy of Hope and Change’, will explore Baroness Lawrence’s extraordinary life and career, including her tireless campaign work to create a better and fairer society both in Britain and around the world. It will examine what we each can do to become part of the necessary change.
Baroness Lawrence came to prominence following the murder of her son Stephen in a racist attack in London in 1993. Since then, she had dedicated her career to campaigning for and to provide a ‘legacy of hope’ for young people, in particular boys of colour and disadvantaged communities with educational opportunities, community cohesion, and career advancement.
Being appointed an OBE for services to community relations in 2003, and elevation to The House of Lords as a Life Peer are some of her notable achievements.
Following 22 years as the Founding Director and President of the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, Baroness Lawrence stepped down to establish the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation in January 2020 which is the only charity that bears his name.
This year marks the 30th anniversary since Stephen’s death and this event will honour his legacy and give Baroness Lawrence the opportunity to share her personal story.
Location: G101, Campus Centre, University of Bedfordshire University Square Luton LU1 3JU
Date and time: Starts on Tue, 3 Oct 2023 18:00 BST
Register for event here
Biography:
Doreen Lawrence, Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon, OBE is a British-Jamaican campaigner and mother of Stephen Lawrence, a Black British teenager who was murdered in a racist attack in London in 1993.
Following her son’s senseless murder, Baroness Lawrence and her family campaigned tirelessly for justice to be brought against his attackers, eventually prompting a public enquiry into the handling of the case. The resulting report, the Macpherson Report, was one of the most important moments in the modern history of British criminal justice and set out major problems with the police force including findings that it was ‘a combination of professional incompetence, institutional racism and a failure of leadership’ when it came to investigating Stephen’s murder.
Following 22 years as the Founding Director and President of the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, Baroness Lawrence stepped down to establish the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation in January 2020 which is the only charity that bears his name. She is also a patron of hate crime charity Stop Hate UK and has sat on panels for the Home Office and the police to help shape police reforms.
Alongside this, in 2020, she was appointed as race relations advisor to the Labour Party and led a review into the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.
Baroness Lawrence’s commitment to promoting the message of anti-racism and equality had led to enormous praise and, in 2012, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Pride of Britain Awards. Two years later, she was named as Britain’s most influential woman in the BBC Radio 4’s Women’s Hour Power List 2014.
Baroness Lawrence was appointed to the Order of the British Empire for services to community relations in 2003, and was made a life peer in the House of Lords in 2013.