Doreen Lawrence
| Doreen D. Lawrence | |
|---|---|
| Born | Doreen D. Graham 24 October 1952 (age 60) Crown Colony, Jamaica |
| Occupation | Campaigner Writer |
| Spouse(s) | Neville Lawrence (1972–1999) (divorced) |
| Children | Stephen Lawrence (1974–1993) (murdered) |
Doreen D. Lawrence, née Graham (born 24 October 1952) is a British campaigner and writer[1] who first came to public attention in 1993 as the mother of Stephen Lawrence, a black British teenager who was murdered in what appeared to be a racial attack in South East London.
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Early life [edit]
Lawrence was born in the Britain crown colony of Jamaica in 1952.[1] At the age of nine, she emigrated to England. She completed her education in south-east London, before becoming a bank worker. In 1972, she married Neville Lawrence; their son Stephen was born in 1974. They divorced in 1999.[2]
Murder of Stephen Lawrence [edit]
Following the murder of their son in 1993, Doreen and Neville Lawrence believed that the Metropolitan Police investigation was not being conducted in a professional manner, citing incompetence and racism as prime flaws.[3] In 1999, after years of campaigning, and with the support of many in the community, the media[4] 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'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"[5] and that this was one of the primary causes of their failure to solve the case.
Public life [edit]
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 awarded an OBE[6] for services to community relations.
She founded the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust[7] to promote a positive community legacy in her son's name. Lawrence has been selected to sit on panels within the Home Office[8] and the Police Service, and she is a member of both the board and the council of Liberty,[9] the human rights organisation, as well as being a patron of hate crime charity Stop Hate UK.[10]
Recognition [edit]
On 27 July 2012, Lawrence took part in the 2012 Olympic opening ceremony, holding the Olympic flag with Ban Ki Moon, Shami Chakrabarti and others.
In October 2012, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 14th Pride of Britain Awards.[11]
Popular culture [edit]
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. It was part of Ofili's Turner Prize exhibition, and now hangs in the Tate Gallery.[12]
In 1999, she was portrayed by actress Marianne Jean-Baptiste in the TV docudrama The Murder of Stephen Lawrence.[13] In 2000, Doreen Lawrence was featured in a double portrait exhibited at the Stephen Lawrence Gallery in Greenwich, London.[14]
Lawrence was the guest subject on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs on 10 June 2012.[15]
References [edit]
- ^ a b Torday, Paul. "And Still I Rise - the autobiography of Doreen Lawrence, Faber and Faber (15 June 2006)". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
- ^ Neville and Doreen Lawrence divorce, BBC Online, 9 July 1999.
- ^ "BBC reports Doreen Lawrence's testimony to MacPherson Inquiry". BBC News. 11 June 1998. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
- ^ "New York Times reports Daily Mail support for Lawrence campaign". New York Times. 1997-02-18. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
- ^ "Full text of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry". Archive.official-documents.co.uk. 1999-02-24. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
- ^ "BBC reports award of OBE for Doreen and Neville Lawrence". BBC News. 2002-12-31. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
- ^ "Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust". Charitiesdirect.com. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
- ^ "www.theyworkforyou.com cites House of Lords reference to Home Office Panel with Doreen Lawrence". Theyworkforyou.com. 2009-05-06. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
- ^ Murray, Douglas. "New Statesman cites Doreen Lawrence as board member of Liberty". Newstatesman.com. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
- ^ "Stop Hate UK official website".
- ^ "Doreen Lawrence honoured". ITV News. 30 October 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
- ^ Charlotte Higgins, chief arts writer. "review of the 2010 Ofili retrospective". Guardian. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
- ^ www.imdb.com page for TV drama 'The Murder of Stephen Lawrence'
- ^ "Greenwich University Press release for Doreen Lawrence portrait". W3.gre.ac.uk. 2000-05-15. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
- ^ "Doreen Lawrence". Desert Island Discs. BBC Radio 4. 10 June 2012.
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