Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Special train ride for civil rights hero
WEST civil rights pioneer Dr Paul Stephenson hosted a special event for the start of Black History Month yesterday – aboard his own train.
Dr Stephenson, who famously led the Bristol Bus Boycott in the 1960s, had a GWR train named after him, as part of the railway’s Great
Westerners campaign.
Yesterday the train embarked on a special journey from Bristol Temple Meads to Swindon for ‘an audience with Dr Paul Stephenson’.
Dr Stephenson, 84, was awarded an OBE in 2009 ‘for his services to equal opportunities and to community relations in Bristol’ and in 2017 received a Pride of Britain Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Joining him yesterday was Esther Deans MBE, director of One Bristol Curriculum, which works with schools to address diversity in the community by promoting unity through knowledge and awareness of others.
She said: “Paul was so proud to have a GWR train named in his honour last year, and events like this help to increase awareness of his pioneering work.
“Paul fought for equality and civil rights for more than 60 years and the closer relations we enjoy today between all the communities of Bristol are thanks to his unstinting dedication.”
GWR inclusion and diversity manager, Odis Palmer, said the train operator was proud to have recognised Dr Stephenson as one of its Great Westerners, celebrating past and present heroes from across the network.
Dr Stephenson famously led a boycott of the Bristol Omnibus Company in 1963, protesting its refusal to employ black or Asian drivers or conductors. After a 60-day boycott supported by thousands of Bristolians, the company revoked its colour bar. A year later, he achieved national fame when he refused to leave a public house until he was served, resulting in a magistrates’ court trial, which was dismissed.
Dr Stephenson’s campaigns were instrumental in paving the way for the first Race Relations Act in 1965.
Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees, said: “Paul’s contribution to racial equality in Bristol extends beyond the stand he, Roy Hackett, Owen Henry, Audley Evans and Guy Reid-Bailey took during the Bristol Bus Boycott. He has continued to work for equality in Bristol, sharing his experience and expertise with us. I am delighted that GWR continue to honour Dr Paul Stephenson’s legacy in our city through this event.”