Sir William’s legacy will live on...

I am saddened to learn of the passing of Sir William Macpherson.

When the Inquiry into Stephen’s murder was announced with Sir William as its Chair, my family and I were extremely concerned at his appointment.

This is because we had read about his past. He seemed completely unsuited to an investigation into racism in the police and so we asked the then Home Secretary Jack Straw to replace him. That didn’t happen, and I am glad because Sir William had the decency and integrity to listen carefully to what was overwhelming evidence of racism infecting the investigation into my son’s murder.

Despite his background and experience Sir William, together with his advisers, was able to understand how racism affected both the police and society and provided a framework of how it could be eradicated.

I had great aspirations that, in his lifetime, Sir William might have been able to see how his Report was able to change policing and society for the better. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to, as racism continues to affect both the police and society at large.

There is still much work to be done and Sir William’s conclusions remain as relevant today as they were when they were published in 1999.

They are a part of Sir William’s legacy and, whilst his family will be very saddened for their loss, they should be incredibly proud of what he did for me and my family.

THOMAS AQUILINA

STEPHEN LAWRENCE DAY FELLOW, LONDN SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

The London School of Architecture has appointed Thomas Aquilina as its inaugural Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation Fellow through the generous donation of the Foundation in September 2021 under the instigation of founding LSA Vice-Chair Elsie Owusu OBE and the RIBA, marking another significant step in the LSA’s commitment to widening access and participation in architectural education.

Through this Fellowship, Thomas is committed to researching means of tackling of historic and current underrepresentation of black and other racialised groups in the architecture profession. A tutor in Critical Practice and Design History at the LSA, Thomas is a registered architect and educator dedicated to building communities of radical thought and progressive practice. He is a co-director of the New Architecture Writers programme and a co-founder of the publishing collective Afterparti. Thomas is also investigating local understandings of spatial justice in London as a Design Researcher in Residence at the Design Museum. As a past recipient of the Stephen Lawrence Architecture bursary, Thomas’ trajectory in architecture is one indebted to Stephen’s legacy. Under the fellowship, Thomas looks to:

Lead conversations at the LSA around curriculum reform, in particular in relation to decoloniality, decarbonisation and destandardisation.
Work on delivering on the strategic priorities contained in the LSA’s ambitious Access and Participation Plan, which seeks to increase the number of Black and Asian students in its cohorts, and students from low-income and low-participation backgrounds.
Cultivate and nurture relationships with local schools, devising an ambitious ‘Part 0’ outreach programme.
Serve as a visible role model and mentor within to the school to underrepresented racialised groups.

The LSA once again wishes to express its gratitude to the RIBA, Elsie Owusu and the vision of Baroness Lawrence for enabling such pioneering research and action at the LSA and subsequently the wider architectural community.

LSA Stephen Lawrence Foundation Fellow, Thomas Aquilina, said:
“At this exciting time of new directorship for The LSA, I want to support the work of building an architecture school that is attune to the value of equitable and radical perspectives.”

Baroness Doreen Lawrence said:
“I am pleased to see that the LSA has appointed Thomas Aquilina to lead on this ambitious plan in researching decoloniality in architecture. For too long access to the profession of architecture was limited and challenging for those from underrepresented groups, this will be a great asset in widening participation for all.”

London School of Architecture Head of School and CEO, Dr Neal Shasore, said:
“It is fantastic that, thanks to this donation, we have been able to offer this new Fellowship. In an intensely competitive field, Thomas’s vision of what we could achieve was truly inspiring. I am looking forward to working closely with him over the coming year, ensuring the LSA leads the conversation around decoloniality and architectural education.”