Lorna Shaw is a dedicated anti-racism advocate who believes that the work of dismantling racism must go hand in hand with building a society that works for everyone, not just the few. She emphasises that race is a social construct and that effective anti-racist strategies must evolve alongside the shifting forms of racism—from biological and scientific racism to cultural racism.
Her journey began at the age of 12, when a formative moment in school affirmed her identity as Black and set her on a lifelong path of exploration and self-discovery. Influenced by activists and cultural icons such as Bini Brown, Bob and Marcia’s Young, Gifted and Black, Bernard Coard, and the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies, Shaw developed a deep understanding of how racism operates at both individual and systemic levels, embedded in institutions, cultural norms, and economic structures.
Shaw was particularly influenced by Black feminist thinkers, including Patricia Hill Collins and bell hooks, who highlighted the importance of centring Black experiences and lived knowledge in the struggle for justice. She draws on these insights to inform strategies that grow from the realities people live, rather than abstract ideas.
Professionally, Shaw has contributed significantly to anti-racist policy and practice, including her work supporting and drafting the Birmingham Stephen Lawrence Commission’s report, which named institutional racism within the council despite external pressures to avoid doing so. For her, truth-telling is essential: problems cannot be solved without being fully named.
For Shaw, creating an anti-racist city means more than resisting injustice; it means fostering conditions where justice, belonging, and opportunity are not determined by identity, appearance, or postcode. She envisions an anti-racist 2035 as a society where these principles are embedded in everyday life.
When asked about the concept of race, Lorna says:
“Race itself is a social construct. The more we act as if it’s real, the more we reinforce the very divisions racism depends on.”
