Stuart Lawrence, Younger brother of Stephen Lawrence. 

A motivational and public speaker with over 20 years’ experience as a youth engagement specialist. 

Stephen Lawrence (13 September 1974 – 22 April 1993) was a young black man from Woolwich, South-East London, who was murdered in a racially motivated attack whilst waiting for a bus in Well Hall, Eltham on the evening of 22nd April 1993.  His family’s tireless campaign for justice led to cultural shifts and changes in attitudes towards racism within British society, the law and the Metropolitan Police. This fight and their story are still as impactful and important today as it was in the 90’s, whilst the fight for justice and change continues.

"We as a family now are looking forward to the future and how the legacy of Stephen can be a driving force to help young people.

After Stephen’s death, Stuart stayed in education and followed a creative path which focused on graphic design, taking a keen interest in typographical design. Upon completing a course at the London College of Printing, he attended Northampton University to read Graphic Communication. Stuart worked with the Home Office and HMP Belmarsh before going on to become a teacher, in which his teaching career spanned over 15 years, working with a secondary school based in South-west London. Stuart recently left this role to take on developing change within the education system and our society as a whole. Whilst working with these particular establishments which are in place in order to help aide change, rehabilitation and impart knowledge to our young people, Stuart has also been part of local communities for the last 20 years as a dedicated Football Coach, coaching young people at least twice a week. 

Stuart has worked with the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust to help promote Stephen Lawrence Day (22nd April) and currently works as a motivational speaker. His Mother, Doreen Lawrence was elevated to the peerage as Baroness on 6th September 2013 and is formally known as Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon, in the Commonwealth Realm of Jamaica. The honour is rare for being designated after a location in a Commonwealth realm outside the United Kingdom, and due to her not being married the rights that would be bestowed on her husband pass on to her son, Stuart, thus making his full title ‘ The Right Honourable Stuart Andrew Lawrence’. Alongside  and in honour of this he has now decided to dedicated himself full time to fighting the cause, named ‘ This is not My Son’s Fight’  to  ensure that the young people of today have an idea about the consequences of their actions against others and importance of inclusion through preaching tolerance and celebrating difference.  

Over the last 18 months Stuart has spent all of his time working with schools, presenting assemblies, working with youth groups/youth centres and sharing his story, experiences and presenting messages of hope & tolerance. His main goal is to equip young people with the mindset to believe and achieve what they want in life no matter the challenges many of them will unfortunately face due to social and economic disadvantages, ethnicity, religion, childhood trauma and so on. Through knowledge, self-worth, determination and unity Stuart believes our young people of today have the power to push for change within our society and make change.  

"We want them to understand that it's all down to them - what they do with their lives, how hard they work, what they achieve - and we hope that because of Stephen they can achieve all their hopes and goals.

Whilst Stuart’s most recent experience has been in youth work, he is now focusing on writing a number of books the first to be published in April 2021, ‘Silence Is Not An Option’, and working with organizations/broadcasters to help them focus on areas of racism , internally and externally within our society.  He has been a part of various panels, podcasts, 1 to 1 interview’s across ITV, The Sun, BBC London and Good Morning Britain to name a few.

Stephen Lawrence Foundation 

The Stephen Lawrence Foundation was launched to redouble efforts, think bigger and use the current moment to create further opportunities for more people on our journey to equality for all. Theresa May, the former prime minister, officially marked April 22 – the day in 1993 that Stuarts brother tragically died – as the Stephen Lawrence Day in the British calendar. It is a celebration of his life and legacy; a moment to reflect, to keep the focus on racial inequality and celebrate efforts to remove it. 

Separate to that the day will also be a celebration of everything that Stephen was and could have become and it will celebrate what is being achieved in his name. The Foundation will be the home of Stephen’s legacy, structured around a virtuous circle of the ‘three Cs’: classrooms, community and careers.

As part of the Foundation, we want to inspire children to dream freely without barriers and to realise the absolute importance of education; we want to support and create new connections within all types of communities; and to collaborate with big businesses to put black men from low-income families on a path towards the boardrooms of the UK’s most prestigious organisations.

Stephen Lawrence Trust    https://www.stephenlawrencetrust.org/

The Trust works with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds between the ages of 13 to 30 to inspire and enable them to succeed in the career of their choice. The Trust helps them to gain knowledge, skills, and the qualifications they need to pursue their career choice and they also support young people through the early stages of this process. They work with community groups, companies, and others to try & create a fairer society in which everyone can thrive. Last year they supported 2500 young people with inspirational talks, mentoring, workplace visits, placements, and bursaries.