Reflecting on the legacy of Stephen Lawrence’s murder and Black, Asian and migrant people’s experiences in the UK

Stephen's case is often seen as one part of a wider discrimination in British society towards Black and 'racialised' minorities.

For example, the 1999 judicial review into Stephen's murder recommended both the police and other public bodies such as educational institutions be better held to the Race Relations Act (MacPherson, 1999). Specifically, to implement concrete actions to counter discrimination.

Parallels have also been made between Stephen's case and migrants to Britain. Notably, to the campaign of harassment and likely murder by two Leeds police officers of the Nigerian man David Oluwale in 1969. Stephen himself was a 2nd generation migrant whose parents, Doreen and Neville, migrated from Jamaica to the UK in the 1960s. Both were part of the 'Windrush generation', people mostly from the Caribbean, who were invited over to the UK with the promise of a new, more prosperous, life if they worked hard in Britain's hospitals and construction sites.

However, the Windrush generation and other migrants have too often faced street harassment, poorer housing and poor jobs on arrival. Some have been barred from accessing healthcare and even deported after the government destroyed their right to remain documents around 2010 - effectively reneging on the promise they were welcome in the UK. Today many people regard the treatment of migrants in the UK to be increasingly hostile. For example, asylum seekers are barred from working and studying whilst engaged in bureaucratic and lengthy immigration decision processes.

Experiences of racism, exclusion and alienation persist for many more recent migrants, but there are also organisations and initiatives to recognise and counter this hostility and provide a more equitable and hospitable welcome. These are some of the core principles of The Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation, for whom "Stephen Lawrence Day is an opportunity for people, communities, and organisations to come together and honour Stephen’s life and legacy, stand up against discrimination in our daily lives, and work towards a more hopeful tomorrow. Through reflection, learning, and action, we can inspire change and create a better future for the next generation".

To honour Stephen’s legacy, reflect on the discrimination Stephen and people like him face in British society today, and the opportunities to build a more inclusive society, presentations from university and third-sector speakers on anti-racism, inclusion and migrant equality will take place on 22 April 2024, 16.00-18.00 at Rosebowl Lecture Theatre D. Please join us.