S5 Ep4: Bookshelfie: Baroness Doreen Lawrence
Baroness Doreen Lawrence OBE shares her life of relentless campaigning for justice for her son, Stephen Lawrence.
She’s a multi-award winning campaigner and an author, but most importantly she’s a fighter. Her tireless campaigning led to the MacPherson inquiry, which described the Metropolitan Police as “institutionally racist”. In 2003, she was given an OBE for services to community relations and founded the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust to promote community legacy in her son’s name. Her memoir, And Still I Rise, was published in 2007, and in 2020 she was appointed as race relations advisor for the Labour Party.
Stephen Lawrence Day is marked officially in the British calendar every 22nd April, commemorating the anniversary of Stephen’s death. The day is an opportunity to celebrate Stephen’s life, to educate young people about the significance of his legacy and highlight the ongoing work of the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation.
The Foundation, established amid unprecedented growing global awareness of racial inequality, and exists to inspire a more equal, inclusive society, and to foster opportunities for marginalised young people in the UK. The Foundation is the home of Stephen Lawrence’s legacy and has education at its core, focusing on three areas: Classrooms, Community and Careers.
Doreen’s book choices are:
** The Color Purple by Alice Walker
** Beloved by Toni Morrison
** Becoming by Michelle Obama
** I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
** Waiting to Exhale by Terry McMillan
Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season five of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, and they continue to champion the very best books written by women.
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