Saturday 12 April 2008

Abolition 200 Legacy Commission launch

Last night Paul Smith, Labour's candidate for Bristol West, and I went along to the launch of Bristol's Abolition 200 Legacy Commission at the City Museum. One of the speeches was from Paul Stephenson, who even now is perhaps best known for his role in organising the Bristol bus boycott in 1963 (see http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/40-years-on-due-credit-for-civil-rights-pioneer-514377.html for some more info on this).

He told an anecdote about how he'd recently seen two young white girls looking at him in a strange way as he walked home; ignoring their looks, he continued down his path, only for them to approach him as he opened his front door. He turned to ask them what they wanted.

They asked if he was Paul Stephenson.... They were thrilled when he said yes - they'd learnt about him in history that week!

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