Stephen Lawrence Research Centre to open with events for DMU staff and students

We are proud to announce that DMU’s ground-breaking Stephen Lawrence Research Centre (SLRC) will open to DMU staff and students next week.

Months before it opens to the general public, we are inviting you to experience an exhibition and collection of personal artefacts which together powerfully illustrate the profound effect that Stephen Lawrence’s shocking murder and his family’s extraordinary fight for justice for the last 25 years have had on British society and history.

Supported by Stephen’s mother – and our Chancellor – Baroness Doreen Lawrence, the centre will open to the public in April next year, to coincide with the inaugural national Stephen Lawrence Day, announced by the Prime Minister earlier this year.

However, we are opening its doors to staff and students for regular exhibition hours on Wednesdays, 1-3pm and Thursdays 3-5pm, beginning on Wednesday 7 November. During this time students and staff are invited to visit the centre and give their feedback on their experience. 

The centre’s director, Dr. Kennetta Hammond Perry, is bringing together academic colleagues whose work will focus on four interdisciplinary themes which build on areas of research expertise at DMU: histories of Black and minority ethnic communities in Britain; the concept and practice of institutional racism; denials of justice and the psychology of racial violence.

Dr. Perry’s vision is for the centre to be a beacon of academic excellence, thought leadership and public engagement in these areas, which have traditionally been under-examined in academia. She explains: “the weekly opening times will provide staff and students with an opportunity to tour the exhibition space, learn about the archive and help launch the vision for the Stephen Lawrence Research Centre before it is opened to the public in the spring.” For further information, you can read a recent interview from Black History Month magazine by clicking here.

A programme of events is being planned between now and the end of the year which will include:

• Regular exhibition hours at the Stephen Lawrence Research Centre for staff and students on Wednesdays from 1-3pm and Thursdays from 3-5pm beginning on 7 November 2018. To help centre staff best prepare to welcome all visitors, we encourage you to indicate your interest in visiting by emailing slrc@dmu.ac.uk with your name and anticipated date and time of arrival.
• “Launch the Vision” Workshop Series for staff to learn more about the research pillars of the SLRC and participate in shaping the early work and long-term vision of the centre.
• Announcement of competitive funding awards designed to support and facilitate cross-faculty research that aligns with the centre’s mission.

In addition to these events, the centre is also now available to host a limited number of private tours and events for groups of staff and students that advance the mission of the centre. These bookings can be made by contacting slrc@dmu.ac.uk