Speak the Plain Truth About
Racism
National Book Tour with Duwayne
Brooks
October 2006
– September 2007
On the night of 22nd April
1993, on a street in Eltham, south-east
London, an 18-year old black
student, Stephen Lawrence, was murdered in a vicious and unprovoked racist
attack. This event and the notorious police mishandling of the investigation
mobilized the anger of the black community and anti-racists behind the demand
for justice. It led, four years later, to the historic Stephen Lawrence Public
Inquiry, which confirmed to the whole country the truth about the black and
Asian experience of police racism, and sent shockwaves through British
society.
Stephen’s best friend, Duwayne Brooks, was a victim of the same racist
attack and was with him when he died. Unsure of his rights and treated more
like a suspect than a victim by the police, Mr. Brooks, 18 years old at the
time, struggled alone to cope with Stephen’s death and his own victimization
by the Metropolitan Police as he fought for justice.
Using his own
funds, Mr. Brooks has just republished his record of these
events:
“Steve and Me
- My friendship with Stephen Lawrence
and the search for
justice”.
Mr. Brooks sets
out the plain truth about a personal experience of racism and injustice that
was at the heart of one of the most momentous chapters in the development of
race relations in recent British history. “Steve and Me” is a living document
that represents a bitter struggle to get the truth out into the open in order
to get justice, not for himself alone but – as he puts it in the books – “To
do my best to help other people in situations like mine – people who have been
mistreated by the police”.
The book is
written in narrative form, compiled from over 30 hours of audio recording that
Mr. Brooks made, telling his untold story. It details his experience at
school, his friendship with Stephen Lawrence, the attack that led to Stephen’s
murder and his own experience with the police and legal system, as the
surviving witness of the attack.
We will be asking each
reader to write back and tell us what their got out of the book, so that we
can put their comments on a website we are planning to set
up.
The Tour, which
is supported by the Movement for Justice, will cover the period from October
2006 “Black History Month” and
throughout 2007 - the 200th
anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade by the UK Parliament on
25th March,
1807.
Duwayne Brook’s
story is a powerful reminder that this historic Act of Parliament only came
about through the struggle of black people in
Britain and
its colonies to demand that their voice be heard and to free themselves from
slavery. A vital role in that struggle was played by ex-slaves like Olaudah
Equiano and Mary Prince in
Britain, and
later by Frederick Douglas in the
US, whose
narratives spoke the plain truth about the racist nature of slavery and
inspired millions of people to rally to their cause.
“Steve and Me” stands in that
tradition and reminds us all that as we celebrate the abolition of the slave
trade there is an equally vital struggle in present day
Britain to
eradicate racism and injustice in our increasingly multiracial
society.
What we
asking from you:
v
Order a book for yourself and/or for your
library
We are
selling at a special Tour reduced price of £6.00, including post and
packaging. Order form
attached.
v
Host one of our tour events at your
Library ( from October 2006 – September 2007)
Suggested event format:
1. Introduction:
Alex Owolade, Movement for Justice) (10 minutes)
2. Showing
of a DVD (An amalgamation of TV footage of the major episodes in
the Stephen Lawrence case) Approx 30mins
3. Interval for
book signing (15-30
minutes)
4. Question and
Answer discussion with Duwayne Brooks (1 hour)
5. Final words Alex (5 minutes)
Costs: the travel expenses for
Duwayne and up to 2 people.
(email us
for more details: speaktheplaintruth@yahoo.co.uk )
To order a copies of the
book:
simply complete
the form attached, print it off and send it.
v
Forward this email to friends, family and
work colleagues.
Tour coordinator: Alex Owolade from the Movement For
Justice, Telephone: 0208 674 4051 or 07985 403 781. For book orders email:
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