Paul Stephenson OBE is one of the leading black civil rights activists of his generation. It was in Bristol in 1963 that Paul and the black community took on the Bristol Omnibus Company that was refusing to employ black workers. The Bristol Bus Boycott was the start of a lifetime dedicated to challenging prejudice at all levels in society and improving opportunities for young black people particularly through sport, music and education. Paul has worked closely with many black role models to achieve this aim, including Muhammad Ali.

In his foreword to Memoirs of a Black Englishman, Tony Benn says: 'His life 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.'