This month marks the 30th anniversary of the murder of Stephen Lawrence, a racially motivated attack that shook the country to its core and brought race relations in Britain to the forefront of mainstream media. 

On 22 April 1993 Stephen Lawrence, a young black teenager, was brutally murdered at a bus stop in South London. Stephen was murdered in an unprovoked racist attack at the age of just 18 - his killers, a gang of white youths, didn’t even know him.  

This murder would bring race relations into the spotlight in the UK, both in the motivation of the brutal attack itself, but also in the handling of the case by the Metropolitan Police.  

After the attack, an initial police investigation identified five suspects. These suspects were arrested, but never convicted. Frustrated by a lack of action from the Metropolitan Police, Stephen’s family launched a private prosecution that went to trial, following the agreement of a magistrate. Three suspects stood trial in the case, but the jury was directed by the judge to find the defendants ‘not guilty’.   

In 1998 a public inquiry into the handling of the case by the police was held which led to the publication of the Macpherson Report. This report has been called ‘one of the most important moments in the modern history of criminal justice in Britain’.  

This inquiry happened over four years after Stephen’s murder. It was launched to identify the lessons that should be learned through the failures of the murder investigation to improve how racially motivated crimes are handled going forward. 

After breakthrough new evidence was discovered, two of the original suspects of the murder, Gary Dobson and David Norris, stood trial a second time in 2012. This time they were both convicted of murder a staggering 18 years after Stephen’s death. 

It’s important that we recognise the change that this tragedy brought about, but also the sheer amount of work that still needs to be done to challenge racism in the UK and to dismantle the racist systems that are in place that allowed Stephen’s murderers to roam free for so long. 

His story is challenging and inspirational. Today, we celebrate Stephen Lawrence Day on 22 April each year. This year, we will be marking the day by holding a workshop led by your Interim President and Welfare Officer, Ashleigh Pinnock. The workshop will be held at Leeds School of Arts in the Upper Atrium from 12-3pm on Friday 21st April. Join us to learn about Stephen's story and reflect whilst getting creative with some painting. We'll provide all the craft equipment and some refreshments. Both staff and students are welcome. You can find out more on our What’s On page.

If you’re interested in learning more about Stephen Lawrence and the legacy of his murder, the Stephen Lawrence Foundation has lots of interesting resources and information: https://stephenlawrenceday.org/ If you would like to learn more about The Macpherson Report and its implications on how police handle racially motivated crimes, The Guardian has written a detailed article.

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