Doreen Lawrence
{{Short description|British-Jamaican campaigner (born 1952)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2013}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = The Right Honourable
| name = The Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon
| image = Official portrait of Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon crop 2, 2025.jpg
| caption = Official portrait, 2025
| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE}}
| office = Member of the House of Lords
| status = Lord Temporal
| term_label = as a life peer
| term_start = 15 October 2013
| office1 = Chancellor of De Montfort University
| 1blankname1 = Vice-Chancellor
| 1namedata1 = Dominic Shellard
Andy Collop (interim)
| term_start1 = 22 January 2016
| term_end1 = 31 January 2020
| predecessor1 = Waheed Alli
| successor1 = Akram Khan
| birth_name = Doreen Delceita Graham
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1952|10|24|df=y}}
| birth_place = Clarendon, Colony of Jamaica
| nationality = British
| alma_mater = University of Greenwich
| occupation = Campaigner
| party = Labour
| spouse = {{marriage|Neville Lawrence|1972|1999|end=div}}
| children = 3, including Stephen Lawrence
| module = {{Listen |embed=yes | filename=Doreen Lawrence BBC Radio4 Desert Island Discs 10 June 2012 b01jqb8t.flac |title=Lawrence's voice |type=speech |description=from the BBC programme Desert Island Discs, 10 June 2012.{{Cite episode |title=Doreen Lawrence |series=Desert Island Discs |series-link=Desert Island Discs |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01jqb8t |access-date=18 January 2014 |station=BBC Radio 4 |date=10 June 2012 }}}}
}}
Doreen Delceita Lawrence, Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon, {{post-nominals|country=GBR|sep=,|OBE}} ({{nee|Graham}}; born 1952 in Jamaica), is a British Jamaican campaigner and the mother of Stephen Lawrence, a black British teenager who was murdered in a racist attack in South East London in 1993. She promoted reforms of the police service and founded the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust. Lawrence was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to community relations in 2003, and was created a life peer in 2013.{{Cite web |date=2020-01-31 |title=Doreen Lawrence, Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon, OBE |url=https://www.murrayedwards.cam.ac.uk/fellows/doreen-lawrence-baroness-lawrence-clarendon-obe |access-date=2023-08-03 |website=Murray Edwards College – University of Cambridge |language=en}}
On the first national Stephen Lawrence Day on 22 April 2019, she described how she had worked for 26 years hoping for "an inclusive society for everyone to live their best life, regardless of gender, race, sexuality, religion, disability or background".{{cite web |last=Lawrence |first=Doreen |title=Doreen Lawrence |website=The Guardian |date=22 April 2019 |url=http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/apr/22/stephen-lawrence-day-british-society-doreen-lawrence |access-date=2 April 2021}}
Early and personal life
Lawrence was born in Clarendon, Jamaica, in 1952.{{Cite book |last=Lawrence |first=Doreen |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/72868322|title=And still I rise |date=2007 |publisher=Faber |others=Margaret Busby |isbn=978-0-571-23459-2 |location=London |oclc=72868322}} At the age of nine, she emigrated to the United Kingdom. She completed her education in south-east London, before becoming a bank worker. In 1972, she married Neville Lawrence. Together they had three children: Stephen (13 September 1974 – 22 April 1993); Stuart, born in 1977; and Georgina, born in 1982.{{cite news |author1=Malik, Shiv |author2=Laville, Sandra |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2013/jan/09/stephen-lawrence-brother-racism-police |title=Stephen Lawrence's brother lodges racism complaint against Met police |work=The Guardian |date=9 January 2013 |access-date=26 August 2014}} The couple divorced in 1999.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/390211.stm "Lawrence parents divorce"], BBC News, 9 July 1999. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
Murder of Stephen Lawrence
{{main|Murder of Stephen Lawrence}}
Following the murder of their son Stephen in 1993, Doreen and Neville Lawrence claimed that the Metropolitan Police investigation was not being conducted in a professional manner, citing incompetence and racism as prime flaws.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/110842.stm |title=Lawrence mother calls police 'racist' |work=BBC News |date=11 June 1998 |access-date=8 August 2011}} In 1994 the Lawrences initiated a private prosecution of five of the suspects, but the evidence was insufficient, resulting in their acquittal, and no prospect of subsequent conviction due to the double jeopardy law. In 1999, after years of campaigning, and with the support of many in the community, the mediaHoge, Warren (18 February 1997), [https://www.nytimes.com/1997/02/18/world/racial-killing-bursts-a-british-press-taboo.html "Racial Killing Bursts a British Press Taboo"], The New York Times. Retrieved 29 May 2024. and politics, a wide-ranging judicial inquiry was established by Jack Straw, the Home Secretary. Chaired by Sir William MacPherson, the inquiry was to investigate the circumstances of Stephen Lawrence's death. The public inquiry was the subject of intense media interest, which became international when it concluded that the Metropolitan Police was "institutionally racist."{{cite web |url=http://www.archive.official-documents.co.uk/document/cm42/4262/4262.htm |title=The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry |publisher=Archive.official-documents.co.uk |date=24 February 1999 |access-date=8 August 2011}} The report also recommended changes in the double jeopardy law, which were passed in 2003 and came into effect in 2005. In 2010, after a review of the forensic and other evidence started in 2006, two of the murderers were re-arrested and tried and found guilty in 2011-12.
Public life
In the aftermath of the inquiry, Lawrence continued to campaign for justice for her son as well as for other victims of racist crime. She has worked to secure further reforms of the police service. In 2003, she was appointed OBE{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2615797.stm |title=Fighting on: Neville and Doreen Lawrence |work=BBC News |date=31 December 2002 |access-date=8 August 2011}}{{London Gazette |issue=56797 |date=31 December 2002 |page=11 |supp=y}} for services to community relations.
She founded the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust{{cite web |url=http://www.charitiesdirect.com/charities/stephen-lawrence-charitable-trust-the-1102267.html |title=Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust – Registered Charity Number: 1102267 |publisher=Charitiesdirect.com |access-date=6 January 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213203730/http://www.charitiesdirect.com/charities/stephen-lawrence-charitable-trust-the-1102267.html |archive-date=13 February 2012 |df=dmy-all }} to promote a positive community legacy in her son's name. Lawrence has been selected to sit on panels within the Home Office{{cite web |url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/lords/?gid=2009-05-06a.548.4 |title=Police: Stop and Search — Question |publisher=Theyworkforyou.com |date=6 May 2009 |access-date=8 August 2011}} and the police, and she is a member of both the board and the council of Liberty,{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/jul/31/doreen-lawrence-labour-peer |first=Patrick |last=Wintour |title=Doreen Lawrence to be made a Labour peer |newspaper=The Guardian |date=31 July 2013|access-date= 29 May 2024}} the human rights organisation, as well as being a patron of hate crime charity Stop Hate UK.[http://www.stophateuk.org/ Stop Hate UK] official website.
In 1998, she worked with the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Marco Goldschmied Foundation to establish the Stephen Lawrence Prize, an annual prize and bursary for younger architects.{{Cite web |title=How the Stephen Lawrence Prize was founded |url=https://stephenlawrenceprize.com/about/ |access-date=2021-03-05 |website=The Stephen Lawrence Prize |language=en-US}}
In August 2014, Lawrence was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to September's referendum on that issue.{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/aug/07/celebrities-open-letter-scotland-independence-full-text |title=Celebrities' open letter to Scotland – full text and list of signatories | Politics |newspaper=The Guardian |date=7 August 2014 |access-date=26 August 2014}}
In April 2020, she was appointed as race relations advisor to the Labour Party.{{cite news |title=Keir Starmer appoints Doreen Lawrence as race relations adviser |url=https://labour.org.uk/press/keir-starmer-appoints-doreen-lawrence-as-race-relations-adviser/ |access-date=24 April 2020 |work=The Labour Party |date=24 April 2020}}
=Controversy=
In October 2019, Lawrence attracted criticism for her on-camera remarks concerning the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy made during an interview with Channel 4 News.[https://www.channel4.com/news/doreen-lawrence-says-grenfell-tragedy-was-linked-to-racism Doreen Lawrence says Grenfell tragedy was linked to racism], Channel 4 News, 17 October 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2019.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/10/20/stephen-lawrences-mother-claims-firefighters-tackling-grenfell/ |title=Stephen Lawrence's mother claims firefighters tackling Grenfell Tower blaze were 'racist'|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=20 October 2019|access-date=11 November 2019}}[https://www.fbu.org.uk/news/racism-allegations-c4news FBU responds to Baroness Lawrence’s racism allegations on Channel 4 News] www.fbu.org.uk, 18 October 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2019.{{cite news|url=https://metro.co.uk/2019/10/24/peer-resists-calls-apologise-saying-firefighters-grenfell-racist-10974616/ |title=Peer resists calls to apologise for saying firefighters at Grenfell were 'racist'|newspaper=Metro|first=Basit |last=Mahmood|date=24 October 2019|access-date=11 November 2019}} She was quoted as saying: "Had that been a block full of white people in there, they would have done everything to get them out as fast as possible and make sure that they do what they needed to do." A public petition was raised demanding an apology.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/oct/26/grenfell-survivors-fear-inquiry-judge-will-side-with-establishment |title=Grenfell survivors fear inquiry judge will side with establishment|first=Robert|last=Booth|newspaper=The Guardian|date=26 October 2019|access-date=11 November 2019}} She later apologised for her remarks.[https://www.euroweeklynews.com/2019/11/01/baroness-lawrence-apologises-after-claiming-race-played-a-part-in-grenfell-tower-inferno/ Baroness Lawrence Apologises After Claiming Race Played A Part In Grenfell Tower Inferno] EuroWeekly News, 1 November 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2019.{{cite news|url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/opinion/doreen-lawrence-apology-for-any-upset-caused-over-grenfell-tower-response-after-meeting-with-firefighters-1-10075397 |title=Doreen Lawrence apology for 'any upset caused' over Grenfell Tower response after meeting with firefighters|first=John|last=Blow|newspaper=The Yorkshire Post|date=29 October 2019|access-date=11 November 2019}}
Recognition
On 27 July 2012, Lawrence took part in the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, holding the Olympic flag with seven others.
In October 2012, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 14th Pride of Britain Awards.{{cite news |url=http://www.itv.com/news/london/2012-10-30/doreen-lawrence-honoured/ |title=Doreen Lawrence honoured |publisher=ITV News |date=30 October 2012 |access-date=31 October 2012}}
In April 2014, she was named as Britain's most influential woman in the BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour Power List 2014.{{cite web |title=Woman's Hour Power List 2014: 1: Doreen Lawrence |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/2RMgSY0S7fKV5DDLP57Z9xL/1-doreen-lawrence |url-status=live |access-date=20 April 2021 |website=BBC Radio 4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140626073602/http://www.bbc.co.uk:80/programmes/profiles/2RMgSY0S7fKV5DDLP57Z9xL/1-doreen-lawrence |archive-date=26 June 2014 }}
In May 2014, Lawrence was awarded the Grassroot Diplomat Initiative Award under the Social Driver category for her extensive work with the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust.{{cite news |title=Grassroot Diplomat Who's Who |url=http://www.grassrootdiplomat.org/whoswho/ |access-date=27 April 2015 |work=Grassroot Diplomat |date=15 March 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150520125406/http://www.grassrootdiplomat.org/whoswho/ |archive-date=20 May 2015 |df=dmy }}
Lawrence was elevated to the peerage as a life peer on 6 September 2013, as Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon, of Clarendon in the Commonwealth Realm of Jamaica;{{London Gazette |issue=60624 |date=11 September 2013 |page=17949}} the honour is rare for being designated after a location in a Commonwealth realm outside the United Kingdom.{{cite web |author=Siva, Vivienne |url=http://jis.gov.jm/jamaican-born-civil-rights-campaigner-appointed-british-house-lords/ |title=Jamaican Born Civil Rights Campaigner Appointed to British House of Lords |date=25 October 2013 |publisher=Jamaican Information Service}} She sits on the Labour benches in the House of Lords as a working peer.[https://www.gov.uk/government/news/working-peerages-announced "Working peerages announced"], Press release, Gov.uk, 1 August 2013.
She has been awarded honorary doctorates from the University of Cambridge,{{Cite web |url=https://www.cam.ac.uk/news/cambridge-confers-2019-honorary-degrees |title=Cambridge confers 2019 honorary degrees |date=2019-06-19 |website=University of Cambridge |language=en |access-date=2019-06-19}} the Open University, the University of West London, and The University of Law.{{Cite web |title=Btss D. Lawrence of Clarendon, Honorary Doctor {{!}} ULaw |url=https://www.law.ac.uk/about/press-releases/the-university-of-law-awards-honorary-doctorate-to-baroness-doreen-lawrence-of-clarendon-obe/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240528114256/https://www.law.ac.uk/about/press-releases/the-university-of-law-awards-honorary-doctorate-to-baroness-doreen-lawrence-of-clarendon-obe/ |archive-date=2024-05-28 |access-date=2025-01-13 |website=www.law.ac.uk |language=en}} She served as Chancellor of De Montfort University, Leicester, from 2016 to 2020.{{cite web |title=Baroness Doreen Lawrence's four-year tenure as Chancellor comes to an end |url=https://www.dmu.ac.uk/about-dmu/news/2020/january/baroness-doreen-lawrence's-four-year-tenure-as-chancellor-comes-to-an-end.aspx |website=De Montfort University Leicester |access-date=23 March 2020 |date=27 January 2020}} She is an Honorary Fellow of Murray Edwards College, Cambridge.
Lawrence was the guest "castaway" on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs on 10 June 2012.
Chris Ofili's 1998 painting No Woman No Cry is a portrait of Doreen Lawrence crying; in each tear is an image of her son Stephen. It was part of Ofili's Turner Prize exhibition, and now hangs in the Tate Gallery.{{cite news |first=Charlotte |last=Higgins |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2010/jan/25/chris-ofili-art |title=Chris Ofili: A journey from elephant art to mother nature's son |newspaper=The Guardian |date=25 January 2010 |access-date=8 August 2011}}
In popular culture
In 1999, she was portrayed by actress Marianne Jean-Baptiste in the ITV docudrama The Murder of Stephen Lawrence.[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0283498/ "The Murder of Stephen Lawrence (1999)"], IMDb. In 2000, Lawrence was featured in a double portrait exhibited at the Stephen Lawrence Gallery in Greenwich, London.[http://w3.gre.ac.uk/pr/releasearchive/472.html "Remembering Stephen Lawrence: Doreen Lawrence Unveils New Double Portrait at University of Greenwich"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723140652/http://w3.gre.ac.uk/pr/releasearchive/472.html |date=23 July 2011 }} University of Greenwich press release, 15 May 2000.
Sons of Kemet dedicated the album Your Queen Is a Reptile to Lawrence among others.{{Cite web |url=http://www.shabakahutchings.com/sons-of-kemet/ |title=Sons of Kemet | SHABAKA HUTCHINGS}}
See also
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20141117065443/http://www.debretts.com/people/debretts-500/law/baroness-lawrence-clarendon "The Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon"] at Debretts 500
- [http://www.stephenlawrence.org.uk/ Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060619173905/http://www.stephenlawrence.org.uk/ |date=19 June 2006 }} website
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawrence, Doreen}}
Category:Black British history
Category:Black British women politicians
Category:Jamaican emigrants to the United Kingdom
Category:Labour Party (UK) life peers
Category:Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II
Category:Life peers created by Elizabeth II
Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire