Baroness Rosalind Howells Joins small band of black peers in the House of Lords

Baroness Rosalind Howells

Rosalind Howells, 68, unofficial advisor to the Lawrence family and outstanding race relations worker, has joined the small band of Black British Lords following her recent appointment to the peerage by the Labour government.

Welcoming the Grenada-born mother of two daughters to the Lord's club were other black peers such as Baroness Scotland of Asthal, Baroness Amos, and Lord Taylor of Warwick.

Baroness Howells, now retired, was chair of the racial equalty council in Lewisham, south London and holds the OBE award for her community work. She advised the Lawrence family in their fight for social justice after the murder of their son Stephen in an acknowledged racist attack in south London six years ago.

Lifetime working peers
The baroness is one of Labour's new working life peers. The appointments are seen as part of Labour's promised radical overhaul of the Lords once the traditional hereditary peers have been removed.

One other member of Britain's ethnic minority communities was on Labour's list. Tarsem King, businessman and Labour local government councillor, becomes the first Sikh member of the Lords.

See the Chronicle archives 2.303, 2.304, and 3.301 for related political profiles and articles on black members of the House of Commons and the Lords.