Justice is Justice – RIP Stephen Lawrence

It may have come 18-years too late, but I for one am happy today that justice has been served for Stephen Lawrence and his family.

Regardless of colour, we all should be proud that some of those responsible for the murder of Stephen have finally been held accountable for their horrid actions. However, we should not forget that Stephen was killed and subsequently failed miserably by the Criminal Justice System purely because of the colour of his skin – being black. In an ideal world, this should never happen again.

Unless you have children, I guess one cannot imagine what Stephen’s parents Doreen and Neville Lawrence went through that dreadful night and continued to go through for the past 18-years. They are a credit to the British values, My Mum brought me up knowing – courage, resilience and integrity. I also learned something new today, about who I am.

All my adult working life, I have often described myself when specifically needed to at work as a Public Servant who happens to be a mixed-race gay Scouser. I was wrong, very wrong.

I watched a video earlier on The Guardian newspaper’s website about Stephen (Murder case that changed Britain), and the comment of one contributor resonated with me and will stick in my consciousness for life. Baroness Rosalind Howells, a black female life peer in the UK House of Lords spoke about people of colour… saying as I used to above.

Baroness Howells say’s that if for example I wasn’t a Public Servant tomorrow, I’d still be mixed-race, gay and Scouse. How very true. My race, sexuality and where I was born I can never change, jobs and titles I can.

So, for me from now on if I’m asked to describe myself as in the manner above and ‘I’m just Kevin’ doesn’t suffice – I won’t ever forget again that firstly, I am a mixed-race gay Scouser and everything else is second i.e. NOT a Public Servant who ‘happens’ to be mixed-race, gay and Scouse. They didn’t just happen!

You can support one of my causes, Racism Ruins Lives on Facebook and Twitter and at www.racismruinslives.com

This has been a… good day for justice, ‘View from the Bottom’.

RIP Stephen, Max x.

Live Healthy, Laugh Often & Love Yourself!

Published by My Mum. Copyright © Kevin Maxwell Film, Media & Performance 2012.