A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to attend an event that featured the great Tony Benn, as well as Paul Stephenson OBE, as part of the Bristol's first Festival of Literature. I'm almost ashamed to say that I wasn't aware of Paul Stephenson before hearing about the festival; a further reminder that my knowledge of Bristol's history is atrocious. In 1963, as Martin Luther King inspired black people across America to fight for equality, Stephenson campaigned tirelessly against racism in Bristol, targeting Bristols' biggest company, the Bristol Omnibus company. Although it's not considered an academic source, his Wikipedia page probably provides the most comprehensive overview of Stephenson's achievements in Bristol. His work was supported by the great Tony Benn, who is somewhat of a hero to, I think, many Bristolians, and eventually by people of all races in Bristol.
The talk was to promote Stephenson's book Memoirs of a Black Englishman, which is introduced by Benn. As well as looking at his great achievements, the book apparently paints a picture of Stephenson's upbringing and a gives a lighthearted look at other aspects of his life. It's on my birthday/Christmas list (should anyone request one!) and I'm really looking forward to reading it.
We were shown this excellent BBC short film about the Bristol Bus Boycott:
Both Paul Stephenson (aged 74) and Tony Benn (86) spoke so well: they were coherant, sharp and funny, with some fantastic anecdotes. What really struck me, as well as how wonderful these men are, was that they had so many great stories to tell. Their actions directly contributed to making Bristol (and by extension the UK) a better, fairer place. It truly was a time of heroes. I wondered whether we -my contemporaries and me- will be able to claim the same. We are incredibly lucky to live in a world that, despite the many, many political, social and economic issues, is more of an equal, fair place. There's still a long way to go of course and that is one of the reasons why I think it's very important we continue to tell these stories. I'm looking forward to reading the book and I'm very excited to see what next year's Festival of Literature brings.
Interestingly, as I was writing this, this fantastic song came on. It's a very fitting way to close.
