Content Warning: This blog contains references to racially aggravated violence.

 

 

 

Stephen Lawrence Day takes place annually on the 22nd April. It marks the date that Stephen was murdered in a racist attack in 1997. Following a public enquiry into the police investigation and the subsequent publication of the Macpherson report, significant changes to policing and the law were made. This included the scrapping of the ‘double jeopardy’ rule, which led to two of Stephen’s killers being jailed.

Created by Stephen’s mother, Doreen Lawrence, Stephen Lawrence Day is about developing a fairer society where every voice is heard and everyone can flourish. This year is particularly focused on the power of small, simple changes to make a big difference.

Service is a key part of King’s academic mission and captures our desire to have a positive impact, both locally and globally. Below are some suggestions for marking Stephen Lawrence Day, and we’d love to hear yours as well- comment below or tweet @KCLdiversity.

1 Watch and share the Stephen Lawrence Day video

2 Volunteer your time

Did you know, Kings’ employees are entitled to three service days per year? You can find out about volunteering opportunities via Kings’ Service or KCLSU. One example is Msaada at the South London and Maudsley Trust. It is a volunteering programme that supports people living with mental illness. Both volunteers and service users are from Black and Minority Ethnic communities.

3 Donate

You don’t need us to tell you that there’s countless charities deserving of our support. However, if you’re looking for inspiration, take a look at the Stephen Lawrence Foundation, which works to support young people from marginalised backgrounds through the classroom and community.

4 Tell us what you’re doing to advance race equality

We want to amplify the messaging on the Stephen Lawrence Day website, which talks about showing a commitment to creating a fairer society and how small changes can make a big difference. We are in the process of implementing our Race Equality Action Plan, which comprises of local and King’s-wide activity to progress our journey towards being an anti-racist university. However, we know that this plan won’t capture all the work happening within the university, particularly local campaigns and grassroots level activity. We therefore want to hear from you- whether you’re forming a departmental network or undertaking research on racial disparities, use this form to tell us about your plans. This will enable us to make connections across King’s and identify areas of collaboration. 

5 Engage with the King’s community

There’s so many ways staff and students can make a difference in the King’s community- even just being mindful of your own behaviour, or choosing to be an active bystander, can have a ripple effect on others.

  • Find out about our staff mentoring schemes. Even if this year’s cohort has already been selected, the schemes will reopen again at a later date
  • Get involved with a staff network
  • Students can check out KCLSU’s Make a Change page for a whole host of opportunities
  • We’re all at different stages of our EDI learning journey. Our flagship Diversity Matters session is designed to cover the basics- staff can sign up for Diversity Matters training via SkillsForge
  • We have developed microaggression training for staff and students. You can sign up via SkillsForge or contact diversity@kcl.ac.uk if you’d like us to run a session for your team or student group. Students can also email us if they’d like to attend an active bystander training session (staff should contact Organisational Development)

 

You can find out more about Stephen Lawrence Day, including ways to get involved on their website.