Civil Rights Activist Paul Stevenson Dies at 87 – Irvine Times

In a statement, his family said he died Saturday night after a battle with Parkinson’s disease and dementia.

They described him as “a true pioneer in the civil rights movement” who “worked tirelessly to break down barriers to discrimination.”

Mr Stevenson helped rally thousands of people for a 60-day boycott in Bristol in 1963 against the Bristol Omnibus Company’s refusal to hire black or Asian drivers.

This contributed significantly to the creation of the first Race Relations Act in Parliament two years later.

In 2009 he received an OBE for services to equal opportunities and received honorary doctorates from three UK universities.

The first black person to be given the Freedom of the City of Bristol, Mr Stephenson also received the Pride of Britain Lifetime Achievement Award from Sir Lenny Henry in 2017.

His children, Fumi and Paul Jr., said, “Despite the demands of his job, Dad’s love and support for our family never wavered. He encouraged our independence and growth, always striving to ensure we could forge our own paths.

“Dad’s unwavering commitment to improving the lives and experiences of people in our community was truly infectious. His tireless work and activism touched the lives of so many, both locally and on a wider national and global scale.

“After all, our father’s legacy extends far beyond the awards and accolades he received. It is embodied in the lives he touched, the barriers he broke down and the generations he inspired to fight for a fairer and just world.”

TV presenter Carol Wordman paid tribute to Mr Stevenson as a “brave man”, saying he would “go down as a Bristol legend” and that she felt “privileged” to have met him.