Memoirs of a Black Englishman

Book excerpt: Paul Stephenson is one of the UK's leading Civil Rights activists and has travelled extensivey to the United States to support the US Civil Rights Movement. In his foreword to Memories of a Black Englishman Tony Benn writes: "Paul Stephenson's life, as readers of this book will see, offers living proof that history is made by the people who make the effort. "It also shows that the initial hostility that they provoke is replaced by respect and good will if the effort continues for long enough. "Paul Stephenson's life confirms that expectation and I strongly recommend his book." Paul Stephenson enlisted the support of Tony Benn (then a Labour MP in Bristol) to take on the Bristol Bus Company in 1963 who were refusing to employ black drivers. The Bristol Bus Boycott was based on the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1956 and marked the start of a lifetime of campaigning by Stephenson. He was regarded as a trouble maker as he challenged racist practices in all aspects of life and strove to bring together black and white communities across the world. His work has been hugely influential and has resulted in him being honored with an OBE and being given the Freedom of the City of Bristol where he lives with his wife Joyce.