Stephen Lawrence film: 'Time for Justice' screening, 10th March, 6.30 - 8.30pm, London

This looks like a very special night.

A screening of the Panorama documentary and a chance to hear from Doreen Lawrence and others.
Buy tickets here.

"In aid of The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust. Bafta and non-Bafta members are invited to a special screening on Saturday 10th March 2012 at 18:30 of the recent Panorama special, Stephen Lawrence: A Time For Justice.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Doreen Lawrence, Stuart Lawrence (brother). Imran Khan (family solicitor) and BBC reporter Mark Daly. The discussion following the screening will cover the struggle of the Lawrence family, institutionalised racism and the power of investigative broadcast journalism to effect change, chaired by TV correspondent, Rageh Omaar."

Location:  Bafta, Princess Anne Theatre, Piccadilly, W1J 9LN

Ticket Price: £10

Conviction of two of Stephen Lawrence's murderers: a new chapter

4  days ago, after 18 years, Gary Dobson and David Norris were found guilty of killing student Stephen Lawrence in a racially motivated attack, while he waited with a friend at a bus stop in Eltham, London.

Young women perform a piece for Stephen at
Shake's event 'Britain on Trial', Leeds, Oct 2011
Artist: Pati Bongani

Everyone involved with Shake! stands in support of the momentousness of these judgements. This case has changed the way in which Britain sees itself at a fundamental level. It laid bare a deep, shameful sickness within certain parts of our culture. While this has not gone away, the family's battle for justice for Stephen has revealed the way in which institutions at the heart of this culture have operated, and how they must change.

Stephen's father Neville Lawrence said that for him, these two convictions were only one step in a long journey to achieve full justice - the bringing to account the rest of the group of young white men who fatally stabbed Stephen that day.

Stephen's mother Doreen spoke of being able at last to get on with her life. She has reiterated her criticism of the police for their early appallingly neglectful handling of the case, which among many other impacts, meant that instead of grieving for her lost son, she had to go into battle against the institutional racism which prevailed and disrupted the course of justice.

Anyone involved in the struggle for justice can only be struck with awe and amazement by the fortitude and grit that the family have had to find for each wave of this terrible story. I try to follow this timeline and consider what it must have taken, what it must have cost, for each person who loved and was close to Stephen to reach this moment.

Separately from her legal campaign, Doreen founded the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust specifically to create a constructive force against social injustice and to combat racism through fostering creativity, especially in design and architecture.  Shake! is proud to have been involved with the work of the Trust and to be able to spread its word.

Performance for Stephen at
Britain on Trial
Artist: Pati Bongani

All of us who believe that art, social justice and activism are intertwined can take courage and learn lessons from Doreen and SLCT: the legal battle, the battle for a change in culture, and the use of culture and the arts to change minds, change behaviour, and rebalance privileges, readdress entitlements to opportunity.

What an incredible act, incredible activism to have put all this into the world.

Thank you Doreen, for changing the course of history for all who are to follow in your footsteps, and thank you to all at SLCT for your dedicated and crucial work.

Solidarity and justice for Stephen

Doreen speaks at the Shake! Preview, Feb 2011

'I can't tell you what art does or how it does it, but I know that often art has judged the judges, pleaded revenge to the innocent and shown to the future what the past has suffered, so that it has never been forgotten. I know too that the powerful fear art when it does this, and that amongst the people such art sometimes runs like a rumour and a legend because it makes sense of what life's brutalities cannot, a sense that unites us, for it is inseparable from a justice at last."*    (writer and activist John Berger)


On 16th November 2011, the re-trial finally opened against two men accused of taking part in a racially motivated fatal stabbing of Stephen Lawrence 18 years ago at a bus stop in Eltham, London. 

Doreen Lawrence, family, and supporters have campaigned long and hard for this moment, not only fighting on multiple fronts to take on the system, but also bringing creativity and hope through the work of the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust. The demand for justice for Stephen has been a central issue for Shake! and everyone at Shake! offers our solidarity with them in this intense and urgent process of re-trial.

Shake! sees what happened to Stephen that day as symptomatic of a deep psychosis at the heart of Britain that must still be confronted and countered daily. Equally symptomatic is that the police investigation was negligent to the point of racism. This was

Rotimi's poem "Hey Stevie" presented to Doreen Lawrence

It was such a special moment last Thursday, when Rotimi Skyers and Nuha Baruti from SHAKE! presented a beautifully designed poster of Rotimi's poem to Doreen Lawrence at the Stephen Lawrence Centre.

Doreen was guest of honour at the SHAKE! Preview at The Albany in February, and was very struck by "Hey Stevie" and the way Ro performed it. She told us she'd love a copy for her wall, so we commissioned the wonderful Liquorice Fish to work with Ro on the design. You can listen to "Hey Stevie" here.

The framed poster in the exhibition space at SLC

Buy one and support SHAKE's development 
We have a limited edition of these beautiful A2 posters on high-quality paper, at £20 each p&p.
Email us!