Stephen Lawrence Day: a legacy of change in education

Around Stephen Lawrence Day on 22 April, Voice Community is holding a series of webinars, including on hate crime and on bringing anti-racism lessons to the classroom and beyond

The Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation will hold a virtual school assembly, focused on the themes of friendship, respect and difference, on 22 April.

Community Union – which includes the Voice Community education and early years section – has partnered with the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation to support educators to promote racial equality and keep the legacy of Stephen Lawrence alive amongst children and young people.

The partnership is already working to support teachers to take the lessons from Stephen’s life of tolerance and anti-discrimination and deliver them to young people.

General secretary Roy Rickhuss said: “Stephen Lawrence Day on 22 April reminds us all of the role we all have to play in creating a society free from racism and prejudice. Racism affects people inside and outside the workplace – whether that be their experiences of discrimination, access to decent jobs, equal pay or the disproportionate deaths that BAME communities have suffered from coronavirus.

“Last year, the tragic death of George Floyd once again brought systemic and structural racism to the forefront of the public imagination. It showed us that, despite the progress made over the past few decades, there is still so much more to do.

“We are immensely proud to be partnering with the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation. This work will enable teachers to effectively have what can sometimes be difficult conversations around race and discrimination in the classroom, as well as equipping them with the tools to teach young people about tolerance and antiracism to create a better and more equal future for us all.

Stephen Lawrence’s mother, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, said: “Today’s schoolchildren are perhaps the most engaged generation there has ever been – keenly aware of injustices around them and with a strong desire to root them out. Britain has to continue to work towards a fairer society – there remains progress to be made and now is not the time for complacency.

“Not all schoolchildren today may have heard the name Stephen Lawrence or know his story. But the last year has shown us that Stephen’s story – unequal treatment because of skin colour, and exposure to embedded prejudice in systems, structures and institutions – is as relevant today as it has ever been.

“I look forward to working to empower educators across the country to have those conversations in the classroom, share Stephen’s legacy and work with young people to build the kind of society we all want to see.”

Around this year’s Stephen Lawrence Day on 22 April, Community is holding a series of webinars, including on:

• how we bring anti-racism lessons both to the classroom and beyond the school gate (22 April) with Baroness Doreen Lawrence and an expert panel; and

• hate crime (23 April) with Stuart Lawrence (Stephen’s brother) and Hardyal Dhindsa, PCC for Derbyshire. 

The Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation will also hold a virtual school assembly, focused on the themes of friendship, respect and difference, on 22 April, from 9.00 to 10.00am, hosted by children’s TV presenter Ben Cajee and featuring Doreen Lawrence and Stuart Lawrence.

Further information, links to register for the assembly and webinars, age-appropriate teaching materials and other resources can be found via www.voicetheunion.org.uk/sldf-partnership