Stephen Lawrence Day 2021

Stephen Lawrence Day was established by the then Prime Minister Theresa May in 2019, on the 25th anniversary of Stephen’s death. It is a day dedicated to Stephen’s memory that also allows people to reflect upon the part we all play in creating a society in which everyone can flourish. See below for more information on Stephen’s story, the goals of the foundation and why you should get involved.

Stephen Lawrence was a black British teenager who was murdered in an unprovoked racially motivated attack while waiting for a bus in Eltham on the evening of 22 April 1993.

His death and the subsequent police investigation raised serious issues about police practice, highlighting institutional racism within the police, and wider attitudes in this country.

In the wake of Stephen’s murder, activists drove forward anti-racism and equality reforms, changing the law, practice and attitudes. That is Stephen’s legacy.

We know there is further yet to go. Racial prejudice still exists in this country and everyday discrimination and harassment are still happening in our workplaces.

Community is working in partnership with Baroness Doreen Lawrence OBE, Stephen’s mother and a member of Community, to raise awareness and to help us all to take practical steps towards change, in Stephen’s memory. Check out our head of equalities, Lauren Crowley’s blog on our partnership with the foundation.

Baroness Lawrence wants Stephen Lawrence Day to be about hope- as we all work together to build a fair and civilised society, free from discrimination. We invite you to take a moment to consider how you can take an active role in building an inclusive society for all.

 

How can you get involved?

There are lots of different ways you can get involved, depending on what you do.

 

If you work in an education setting…

Working in partnership with schools and professional associations, we have developed a range of age-appropriate materials which include a staff briefing, suggestions for assemblies and a suite of further resources which allow for different curriculum entry points. These materials are available on the website www.stephenlawrenceday.org and can be used flexibly to support the children and young people in your school to understand the part they play as individuals in creating a society in which everyone can flourish.

 

At the heart of Stephen’s legacy is a focus on building pupils’ confidence and skills relating to emotional intelligence, resilience, respect and care. Stephen’s Day should support children and young people to value difference, embrace diversity, behave responsibly and make positive choices to contribute as active, healthy, engaged citizens in multicultural Britain.

 

Click here to download a template email you can use to ask your school to get involved in Stephen Lawrence Day 2021.

Fill out this form to be sent curriculum and educational resources you can use to participate in Stephen Lawrence Day 2021.

 

If you don’t work in education…

  1. You could donate to or raise funds for the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation. All donations fund the charity’s work to keep changing the lives of young black people whether it’s in the classroom, communities or during their careers. Read more here.
  2. You could ask the schools in your area, or your children’s schools to support Stephen Lawrence Day 2021, 22nd April. Ask them to fill out this form, and we can make sure they get all the resources they need to participate on the day. Click here for a template email you can use and adapt to contact schools.
  3. Contact your employer and ask them to work with us to organise a discussion, a workshop or a webinar related to our anti-racism work. Click here for a template email you can use and adapt to contact your employer.
  4. Make some noise. Post a video on social media saying why you are supporting Stephen Lawrence Day 2021. Tell the world what a difference Stephen’s story has made to you. Take a photo of yourself and share on your social media, or write your own personalised message on a sheet of A4!

 

Click here to fill out a form to register your interest in getting involved.

 

Upcoming Webinars (for education and early years members only)

Difficult conversations webinar, with Hope not Hate – 27th May 4pm-6pm

With Britain becoming ever more divided it is key that we learn to have productive conversations with those who disagree with us to help combat racism, xenophobia and all forms of prejudice.
This session offers effective methods for changing the minds of people who have deeply-held, irrational views that are racist or xenophobic, without relying on “myth-busting” techniques. We explore practises that seek to understand people’s perspectives, rather than focus on their objectionable conclusions.

Click here to register, or contact us on equalities@community-tu.org.

Watch previous webinars (for education and early years members only)

Stephen Lawrence Day Live Assembly

Join Ben Cajee, CBeebies presenter, Baroness Doreen Lawrence and Hon Stuart Lawrence for a virtual school assembly focused on the themes of friendship, respect and difference. They discuss anti-racism in schools, the importance of black history and how to ensure messaging reaches young people. There are different variations of this webinar for primary and secondary schools.

Primary:
Secondary:
Anti-racism in education and beyond, with Doreen Lawrence
Watch our discussion with Doreen Lawrence and an expert panel on the importance on anti-racism within education work. How do we make sure anti-racism work doesn’t end at the school gate? Why is it so important black history is included in the curriculum and taught in classrooms? How do we reach the young people of today? Hear from and question the experts and listen to a special address from Baroness Doreen Lawrence on why education is so close to her heart since the murder of Stephen Lawrence 28 years ago.

Hate crime webinar with Stuart Lawrence and Hardyal Dhinsa, PCC for Derbyshire

We are committed to tackling hate crimes and we partnered with the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation to raise awareness of such abhorrent crime and to speak out against it. We were also joined by Hardyal Dhinsa, police commissioner for Derbyshire and Stuart Lawrence, brother of Stephen Lawrence who discussed his family’s role in decades of campaigning for justice, and draws on his experience as a former teacher. For the full version of the webinar, please contact us at equalities@community-tu.org.

This webinar provides an overview of the Stephen Lawrence case and covers the following topics:

  • Who are hate crimes targeted at?
  • What is the impact of hate crime on the victim and the wider community?
  • What are the barriers to reporting hate incidents?
  • How can we report hate incidents?

Our guide for members and reps

This handbook aims to encourage and remind us of our duties to speak up and act against racism and discrimination. We have produced this guide to help our members and reps understand the law around discrimination, and provide advice on how to work in our own workplaces to tackle and prevent racism and racially motivated harassment.

Download handbook

 

Share what you will do

You can mark the day by sharing with us online one thing you will do to make society fairer, either film a short clip of yourself talking about what you will be doing to support the foundation or tackle racial prejudice. Post online what activities you will be doing to support the foundation’s cause, tagging the following in your post: @communityunion, @sldayfdn and hashtagging it with #StephenLawrenceDay.

 

Useful resources

For more information on the above or to get involved, email equalities@community-tu.org 

If you are a member of Community and need help or advice, please contact us at servicecentre@community-tu.org or on 0800 389 6332.

To join Community, visit www.community-tu.org/join.