Stephen Lawrence Day happens on 22nd April every year, in memory of the unprovoked racist attack on 18-year-old, Stephen Lawrence, while he was waiting at a bus stop in 1993. In his memory, a foundation was set up to 'challenge the status quo and decolonise the way we learn to ensure inclusivity and representation'. They have created the Power of Learning hub as a space where young learners can cultivate the critical skills to shape a brighter future for themselves and their communities.
Discover the Power of Learning hub
How can I get involved in Stephen Lawrence Day?
The Stephen Lawrence Day charity suggests we can get involved by being creative, with the understanding that knowledge is power. With this in mind, we've provided a list of books and poems that we recommend for you to browse.
Learn more about allyship and support Black voices
- Minty Alley – CLR James (1936)
- Incomparable World – SI Martin (1996)
- Without Prejudice – Nicola Williams (1997)
- The Dancing Face – Mike Phillips (1998)
- Bernard and the Cloth Monkey – Judith Bryan (1998)
- The Fat Lady Sings – Jacqueline Roy (2000)
- The Color Purple – Alice Walker (1982)
- Such a Fun Age – Kiley Reid (2019)
- The Gilded Ones – Namina Forna (2020)
- Memphis – Tara M. Stringfellow (2022)
- The Vanishing Half – Brit Bennett (2020)
- Real Men Knit – Kwana Jackson (2020)
- Queenie – Candice Carty-Williams (2019)
- People Person – Candice Carty Williams (2022)
- My Father’s Daughter – Hannah Azieb Pool (2005)
- Sequins for a Ragged Hem – Amryl Johnson (1988)
- Growing Out – Barbara Blake Hannah (2016)
- Britons Through Negro Spectacles – ABC Merriman-Labor (1909)
- A Black Boy at Eton – Dillibe Onyeama (2022)
- Sugar and Slate – Charlotte Williams (2002)
- Dat’s Love – Leonora Brito (1995)
- Girl, Woman, Other – Bernadine Evaristo (2019)
- We Need to Talk About Race – Ben Lindsay (2019)
- Is God Colour-Blind? – Anthony G. Reddie (2009)
- Every Tribe – Rev Dr Sharon Prentis (2019)
- Fortune: How Race Broke My Family and the World—and How to Repair It All – Lisa Sharon Harper (2022)
- An Olive Grove in Ends – Moses McKenzie (2022)
- Black and British – David Olusoga (2016)
- This Here Flesh – Cole Arthur Riley (2022)
- The Cross and the Lynching Tree – James Cone (2011)
- The Christian Imagination – Willie James Jennings (2010
- Black and British – David Olusoga (2016)
- Women, Race & Class – Angela Y. Davis (1981)
- What White People Can Do Next – Emma Dabiri (2021)
- Reading While Black – Esau McCaulley (2020)
- The Great Azusa Street Revival – The Life and Sermons of William Seymour, compiled by Roberts Liardon (2020)
- Zami: A New Spelling of My Name – Audre Lorde (1982)
- Passing – Nella Larson (1929)
- Parable of the Sower – Octavia E. Butler (1993)
- Parable of the Talents – Octavia E. Butler (1998)
- Kindred – Octavia E. Butler (1979)
- The Wedding Date Series – Jasmine Guillory (2018-2021)
- Their Eyes Were Watching God – Zora Neale Hurston (1937)
- Beloved – Toni Morrison (1987)
- Song of Solomon – Toni Morrison (1987)
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings – Maya Angelou (1969)
- All About Love: new Visions – bell hooks (1999)
- Giovanni’s Room – James Baldwin (1956)
- Go Tell It on the Mountain – James Baldwin (1952)
- Americanah - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2013)
- Invisible Man – Ralph Ellison (1952)
- Things Falls Apart – Chinua Achebe (1958)
- Mr Loverman – Bernadine Evaristo (2013)
- Noughts & Crosses Series – Malorie Blackman (2001-2021)
- Hunger – Roxanne Gay (2017)
- Natives – Akala (2018)
- We Refugees – Benjamin Zephaniah
- The British – Benjamin Zephaniah
- You Look Like A Rainbow – Joseph Coelho
- Hollow – Vanessa Kisuule
- What Stephen Lawrence Has Taught Us – Benjamin Zephaniah
- Peace – Akala
- Brendon Gallacher – Jackie Kay
- Phenomenal Woman – Maya Angelou
- Still I Rise – Maya Angelou
- When Great Trees Fall – Maya Angelou
- Life Doesn’t Frighten Me – Maya Angelou
- A Litany For Survival – Audre Lorde
- A Woman Speaks – Audre Lorde
- Coal – Audre Lorde
- Gay Chaps At the Bar – Gwendolyn Brooks
- Surge (book of poems) – Jay Bernard
How can I be a better ally within my parish?
Being a good ally is not always easy. Sometimes you might have to speak up in situations that feel uncomfortable or address behaviour that you might want to gloss over, but ally ship is not only for professionals who have responsibility for diversity, equity and inclusion. By learning more from literature, you can feel more certain of when to speak up or address behaviours that don't feel right.
There are various ways to become a better ally, but first and foremost is acknowledging your privilege. By attending training on allyship, you can better understand what privilege might look like and learn about the impact of generational trauma, how to listen well, when to speak up and how to take a stand in the most helpful and effective way.
You can get in touch with our Racial Justice Officer, Rashida Hartley, for training on any of the following:
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Introduction to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
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Understanding Unconscious Bias
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Effective Cross Cultural Communication
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Stereotypes and Microaggressions: Race, Disability & Sexuality
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Introduction to Effective Allyship