Dear Stephen: race and belonging 30 years on

Publication type

Report

Authors

Publication date

June 1, 2023

Summary:

Racism is often a matter of life and death. This was never more true than for Stephen Lawrence, a bright young man who dreamed of becoming an architect.
Stephen was murdered by racist strangers as he made his way home with a friend in South East London, 30 years ago. The fight for justice that followed, led by Stephen’s grieving parents, has brought us all to know Stephen’s name, and carry forward his legacy.
Stephen’s murder changed the country, and was core to progressing racial equality in the UK. This report, produced in partnership by the Runnymede Trust and Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation, is intended as a small contribution to mark this difficult anniversary and assess just how far we have come as a nation in the last 30 years.
In 'Dear Stephen', we reveal the points of hope and connection in our communities, at a time when the UK feels increasingly polarised. Data from the British Social Attitudes Survey shows that, although people feel the world around them is becoming more hateful and prejudiced, people’s own attitudes are shifting in a much more positive trajectory, and that race, inclusion and belonging are not such divisive issues as we are led to believe.
We show that: 1) Less than one-fifth of people now think that it is very important for being truly British that someone was born in Britain, down from almost half in 1995; 2) And 45% said that equal opportunities for Black and Asian people had not gone far enough, up from 25% in 2000, and further rising to 71% among people with ‘socially liberal’ outlooks; 3) In 2011, around a quarter of people thought that migration was good for both the economy (21%) and for cultural life (26%). By 2019, this had risen to almost half in both instances; 4) Conversely, the proportion of people who think immigration has had a negative impact in these areas more than halved, from around two in five in 2011, to less than one in five in 2019.
The resilience and determination of younger generations to create change underscores the importance of fostering a sense of belonging and building empathy across society. We found that while traditional markers of community engagement - such as political participation rates and youth club membership - paint a picture of an increasingly alienated youth, it’s because we’re looking in the wrong places. Young people around Stephen’s age (18) have a clearer grasp than most on the issues their communities face, and have developed powerful bonds and strategies for navigating a society that has simultaneously changed a lot and all too little, thirty years on.
They have a strong sense of happiness in their friendships and, compared to older generations, a stronger sense of community. Of note, younger generations are ambitious in their career aspirations not as a means to escape their communities, but in order to improve conditions and contribute back in to them.

We offer this report with a sense of hope and unity, as a testament to the power of ordinary people coming together to drive extraordinary change, and of course in honour and memory of Stephen Lawrence.

Rest in eternal power, dear Stephen.

Stephen Lawrence, 13.09.1974 - 22.04.1993

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Link

https://www.runnymedetrust.org/publications/dear-stephen-race-and-belonging-30-years-on

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