More than 500 people including leading British civil rights figures filled Bristol Cathedral on Friday for a memorial service for the late Paul Stephenson, known for his role in the Bristol bus boycott.
Stephenson played a pivotal part in rallying thousands of people for a 60-day boycott in Bristol in 1963 over the Bristol Omnibus Company’s refusal to hire black or Asian drivers, contributing to the creation of the first Race Relations Act in parliament two years later.
He died aged 87 in November. He had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Tributes were paid at the memorial service by the peers Paul Boateng and Simon Woolley, as well as the former head of the equal rights watchdog Sir Trevor Phillips, the TV presenter Sherrie Eugene-Hart, and in a written statement from the former boxer Frank Bruno, to an audience that included the actor David Harewood.
The service was also attended by civic leaders including the former Bristol mayor Marvin Rees, the leader of Bristol city council, Tony Dyer, and His Majesty’s representative, the lord lieutenant Peaches Golding.
Music chosen to reflect Stephenson’s broad tastes was played, including classical choral music and Labi Siffre’s (Something Inside) So Strong.
Addressing the congregation, Boateng said: “None of us would be here if Paul hadn’t refused to give up his seat when they told him to, if he hadn’t faced the humiliation of arrest, the fingerprinting, the day in court; none of us would be here.”
Stephenson was made an OBE for his services to equal opportunities in 2009 and was awarded honorary doctorates at three UK universities.
He was the first black person to be granted the freedom of the city of Bristol, and received a Pride of Britain lifetime achievement award in 2017.
Bruno’s tribute said: “I am sure today you will hear many stories about Paul. I am only disappointed that, while alive, his life was not honoured more nationally – not just in the south-west but across the entire UK – with far more substantial recognition.”
He added: “I feel that when God created Paul, the mould was destroyed. We will never see the likes of Paul Stephenson again. May we all live happier, easier lives thanks to his actions.”
Stephenson was born in Rochford, Essex, in 1937. At three years old he was evacuated to a care home in Great Dunmow in the Essex countryside with seven white children, where he stayed for seven years.
In 1953 he joined the RAF as a cadet, serving until 1960. He went to college to study youth work before moving to Bristol in 1962 to be a youth and community development worker and a supply teacher.
In 2012 he released his autobiography, Memoirs of a Black Englishman.
The dean of Bristol, the Very Rev Dr Mandy Ford, said: “It is a great privilege and honour for us to be hosting this service to give thanks for the legacy of Paul Stephenson. Paul was a true giant who leaves a lasting legacy in the city of Bristol and beyond.”
Article by:Source: Jamie Grierson
