Beacon of light in troubled times

Lawrence Charity boosts education for aspiring Black architects

The Lawrence's

Doreen and Neville Lawrence's determined search for justice ignited widespread reaction to their son Stephen's death 22 April 1993 on a main street in Eltham, London, one of many unsolved racial attacks over the past thirty years. This much is widely known throughout Britain and the world following Sir William McPherson's damning report accusing the Metropolitan Police of institutional racism.

What has only come to light, however, is a story that reveals how black sorrow brought forth a fresh investment in our living environment.

A mild-mannered couple of Jamaican origin, Doreen and Neville were not prepared for the extra burden history would place upon their shoulders. But, in the summer of 1998, as legal delays dragged on ruining Stephen's parent's chance for justice, they formed a charitable trust in their son's name.

Trustees were drawn from family friends and colleagues: Dr. Ros Howells OBE, a Caribbean born race equality campaigner, Elvin Oduro, a graphic designer who was Stephen's best friend, and white supporters Tim Cook, former director of the City Parochial Foundation for London's poor and ethnic minorities, and Jon Snow, a much admired Channel 4 journalist and newscaster.

Arthur Timothy, a local architect of African parents, who first noted Stephen's drawing skills, was appointed chair. Beverly Bernard, born in Dominica and a founder of the Windsor Fellowship mentoring programme for young black achievers, became acting trust administrator.

Verdant sorrow
The Lawrence's dreamed of helping other young black people become architects, a goal cruelly denied Stephen. Neville, an unemployed craftsman, undertook to spread the news about the trust and the sentiment that enriched it. "I travelled across the country speaking in church halls and union rooms, " he says. Doreen, a student welfare officer at a university, voiced their hopes by saying: "The trust will be one way in which we can help to continue Stephen Lawrence's memory and his ambitions."

Their charitable goals in the midst of their sorrow began to bear fruit by the end of 1998. "It all stems from little acts of giving", says Beverly Bernard. "I remember a little old lady pensioner living in Sheffield sent £2.50 and a note saying 'this is all I can spare but I want you to have it'".

An avalanche of small gifts followed in an extraordinary expression of solidarity by individuals, churches, fire brigades, teachers, trade unions, and a shocked public.

The tributes said:
"We are impressed by your dignity in the face of tragedy."
"Why can't we all look at our hearts and not the colour of our skin."
"We share in your pain."
"We admire your courage in the face of adversity."

Arts
Doreen and Neville Lawrence's loss inspired works of art as well as television docu-dramas, stage and screen plays. Stephen pursued by his attackers, shown amidst his favourite possessions and pictures of Jamaica, formed the central image of a stained glass memorial panel by artist Julia St. Clair Forde at Trinity Methodist Church in Plumstead where the Lawrence's worship.

Chris Ofili's painting of a mournful black woman, with a tiny portrait of Stephen in every tear - entitled "No, Woman No Cry" - was a tribute to Doreen Lawrence. It portrayed the universal grief and suffering of the black community.

Theatre
"The Colour of Justice" paid homage to the rare courage of Stephen's parents in a dramatised version of the inquiry into the death of the black teenager. Their persistent demands for justice were recounted - "Why wasn't Stephen given first aid as he lay dying? Why did police fail to follow up leads and make arrests?" - and the play exposed depressing details of official duplicity.

Mandela and grandson

The Lawrence's efforts brought the issue of deep-seated racism into public consciousness for the first time since the black-led anti-slavery movements of the 19th century. They were photographed with world leaders. President Nelson Mandela of South Africa said "The Lawrence tragedy is our tragedy"- an unprecedented statement of concern that attracted widespread publicity. The Lawrence's Christmas day 1998 broadcast on the evils of racism, timed to coincide with the Queen's annual message, captured the hearts and minds of the nation.

Design
In a remarkable coup, the Lawrence's captured the interest of the prestigious Royal Institute of British Architects. A £5000 Stephen Lawrence Prize for buildings under £500,000 was sponsored by the Marco Goldschmied Trust "in memory of the murdered black teenager who wanted to become an architect."

The end of February 1999 was filled with despair, however. The reality of the long road to justice had kicked in once again. The Lawrence report recommendations had promised much but failed to target Stephen's killers or promote effective solutions to the harassment and murder of black youth.

Then, a boost to the Lawrence's hopes occurred. In a re-launch to expand their work, the trust, with £50,000 donations in hand, received a cash grant from the UK government. The announcement was met with jubilant shouts at the ceremony held in South Africa House, London, under the patronage of High Commissioner Cheryl Carolus.

Grant
The grant was an unusual gesture by the Home Secretary Jack Straw, who had come under attack for interference and mishandling of the Lawrence inquiry report. Mr. Straw pledged £300,000 over the next three years to help the trust on its way. The largesse came from a Home Office fund supporting voluntary groups acting in line with government policy, a press officer later confirmed.

Further triumphs of the Lawrence trust will be announced later in the year, says Beverly Bernard. RIBA president Marco Goldschmied may continue the Stephen Lawrence building design award. Trust grants will be offered students to study architecture in Jamaica, South Africa, as well as the UK. A bursary for intending students at the Architectural Association, a unique and elite London education institution, has been confirmed. In April or May, a prominent speaker will deliver the first annual Stephen Lawrence Memorial public lecture.

Questions
However, there has recently been speculation about the cultural hijacking of Stephen's image. "If we are to have an architectural legacy of Stephen Lawrence, why not something more relevant to the inner city Britain and Black London?," is one view that has been raised. "Why should the award in Lawrence's name be given to architects of mostly middle-income, middle-class private house extensions?" asks journalist Nonie Niesewand of The Independent newspaper. Niesewand was obviously referring to the first Lawrence Prize awarded by the Goldschmied Trust to Ian Ritchie's £400,000 Cultural Greenhouse of glass and rubble in Terrason, a rural town in France.

To allay these fears, future trust-sponsored prizes should go to projects that showcase Britain's black architects and planners and are beneficial to urban blacks and their neighbours. Urban regeneration and new low income housing projects are urgently needed, as well as actions to refurbish and renew run-down estates where many black people live.

Tribute
Undoubtedly, the trust's support for the entry of aspiring black architectural students into the profession will be widely applauded. But the trust must encourage the students and the schools they attend to pursue the best principles of social architecture theory and practice. This means linking the skills of the architect with the energies of black people in designing and implementing changes in their neighbourhoods.

Steven's design

"Cultural diversity should be celebrated, and reflected in the environment," says Architect Timothy who fondly recalls Stephen's work placement with him on a renewal project in Deptford, south east London, an area of high unemployment and black settlement.

By their efforts, Neville and Doreen Lawrence have shone a beacon of light in troubled times with far-reaching implications. As Doreen Lawrence has said, "The tragedy surrounding Stephen's murder has helped to change Britain as we know it, his death has highlighted the evil of racism that so many face in our society. I see the trust as a fitting tribute to Stephen".

For information about The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust
Tel: 0171 963 4406 Fax: 0171 963 4440;
E-mail: information@stephenlawrence.org.uk
Website:stephenlawrence.org.uk