Thursday 22 October 2020

Black History Month Week 4

For us every month is Black History Month.  However, to highlight black history during October, every week in October we are going to blog about a school Library book which we consider important in the study of black history.  This week we would like to draw attention to The Life of Stephen Lawrence by Verna Allette Wilkins held in our Lower School Library.



The first 45 pages of this book give us a clear account of Stephen Lawrence, a regular south London child, a son and brother and aspiring architect.    We learn on page 46 that Stephen's life was cut short when he was brutally murdered on the streets of Eltham, in a racially motivated attack.  What followed was a police investigation described by the Macpherson Report as "marred by a combination of professional incompetence, institutional racism and a failure of leadership".  The term 'institutional racism' is now one that is very familiar.  We look forward to the day when nobody understands what it means.

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