Everyone at AWP pays a heartfelt tribute to Dr Paul Stephenson OBE, pioneering civil rights campaigner who passed away on Saturday, November 2^nd

Dr Stephenson organised the 1963 Bristol bus boycott, which overturned a ban on people from ethnic minorities working on buses in the city. In a statement, his family said he passed away  after a "courageous battle" with Parkinson's disease and dementia.

His work was instrumental in the development of the first Race Relations Act and in 1992 he helped set up the Bristol Black Archives Partnership, which protects and promotes the history of African-Caribbean people in the city. He was made an OBE in 2009 for his services to equal opportunities and to community relations.

Mayur Bhatt, our EDI lead said: “Paul Stephenson was a legend in Bristol and in British social and political history for instigating race relations laws in the UK. I had the pleasure of meeting and having a chat with him in 2019 about how race equality in UK has changed since he led and participated in the Bristol Bus Boycott. For many people, in particular our global majority communities, he has been a role model for anti-racism.  I found him to be a truly humble man that put dignity of people first before any self-gain.  He was a role model for social justice who will be truly missed.”

Dr Stephenson’s life-long fight for racial and social equality is an ongoing and lasting inspiration to us here at AWP as we continue our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.