UEL Hosts Stephen Lawrence Conference with call for change

UEL hosted the Stephen Lawrence Day Conference on Thursday, 24 April, in partnership with the National Black Police Association (NBPA) and with support from the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation. The event brought together students, police leaders, campaigners and academics under the theme: “From Division to Unity: Overcoming the Impact of Far-Right Violence and Hate.”

This year marks 32 years since the death of Stephen Lawrence, the 18-year-old Black student who was brutally murdered in a racist attack while waiting for a bus in Eltham, south-east London, in 1993. His killing — and the police's mishandling of the investigation — exposed deep-rooted institutional racism within the Metropolitan Police and led to landmark reforms across policing and public institutions in the UK.

Barry Collins, Head of the Law and Criminology Department, Royal Docks School of Business and Law welcomed guests to the conference praising UEL’s proud record on diversity and its role in shaping a more just and inclusive society stating:“Where people build walls, we build bridges.”

In a powerful address, RDSBL's Dr Nadia Habashi warned that progress since the 1999 Macpherson Inquiry has been slow and too often performative. In addition, since the publication of the Baroness Casey Review into the Metropolitan Police in 2023, which exposed widespread institutional racism, sexism and homophobia, there had been no formal two-year progress update on the reforms it recommended. She stated: 

If we let history slip into myth and policy into performance, then we will see more deaths like Stephen’s....not because we didn’t know better-but because we chose to look away.”

Stuart Lawrence, Stephen’s brother, delivered a moving tribute, urging attendees to remain “relentless in the fight” for justice. Other speakers included Andy George, President of the NBPA, who highlighted the need for bold partnerships and Lee Jasper, who called for real structural reform in policing. Simon Miah from Essex Police acknowledged ongoing challenges,  discussed his forces responses to the Race Riots of 2024 and the need to work closely with communities. Exit Hate Trust, whose work supporting individuals to leave far-right extremist movements offered a powerful message: that transformation is always possible and that hate must be challenged not only through protest, but through rehabilitation, compassion and dialogue.

Dr Nadia Habashi concluded: "This event marked a deepening of UEL’s partnership with the NBPA, formalised in a memorandum of understanding last year. As the day drew to a close, participants were encouraged to not only reflect on the powerful testimonies and ideas shared, but to act—to turn insight into impact and remembrance into resolve."