The third national Stephen Lawrence Day, which takes place on Thursday 22 April 2021

On 22 April 1993, Stephen Lawrence was murdered in a racially motivated attack, carried out by a group of white men.

As the 28th anniversary of Stephen’s murder approaches, his mother, Baroness Doreen Lawrence pays tribute to her son.

His murder unapologetically exposed the deeply rooted institutional racism – something insidious, sometimes subtle, but always with harmful effects – still alive in the policing and justice system today.

On this day of reflection, we must look upon institutional racism, and what we must all do to fight it. It is a day to consider how far we have come and how much further we have still to go. It is a day to acknowledge the role of every individual in driving real societal change and forging a space of inclusivity and equality.

In this context, it has become even more important to keep Steven Lawrence’s legacy in the national consciousness and to continue fighting against the institutional racism that the Macpherson report highlighted 21 years ago.

This Day will force us to confront the disturbing – but honest – truth of the institutionalised racism persisting in British society.