Baroness Doreen Lawrence

Doreen grew up with her grandmother in the Clarendon parish of Jamaica. At age nine Doreen travelled to England, joining her mother in Brockley, South London.

Later in life Doreen decided to go to university where she pursued a BA Hons in Humanities. While studying for her undergraduate degree Doreen’s son Stephen was tragically murdered, an incident that changed the course of Doreen’s life and led her to becoming an important figure in the British Civil Rights movement.

In her son name’s Baroness Lawrence founded the Stephan Lawrence Charitable Trust, which promotes a positive community legacy in her son's name. She has been selected to sit on panels at the Home Office and the Police Service and is a member of both the board and the council of Liberty, the human rights organisation, as well as being a patron of hate crime charity Stop Hate UK.

Her great work has led her to receive a number of achievements, in 2018, Theresa May has announced an annual Stephen Lawrence Day to be held on the anniversary of the teenager’s murder. The prime minister made the announcement at a memorial service to mark the 25th anniversary of the hate crime that shocked Britain and led to the Metropolitan police being described as institutionally racist. Doreen Lawrence welcomed the announcement after years of campaigning and fighting injustic. “I feel honoured [May] has recognised the changes that have been made in Stephen’s name and the changes that are still needed,” she said.

In 2003 Doreen was awarded an OBE for her advocacy and in 2013 she was invited to become a Life Peer in the House of Lords where she tries to be the voice for the marginalised.

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