Paul Stephenson is one of the most significant figures in the UK civil rights movement of the last 60 years. He rose to prominence as a key figure in the Bristol Bus Boycott of 1963, a campaign that forced Bristol Omnibus Company to abandon its policy of only employing white conductors and drivers.
The Bus Boycott remains one of the most positive examples of Black protest in recent British history.
Paul Stephenson (born 6 May 1937) is a community worker, activist and long-time campaigner for civil rights for the British African-Caribbean community in Bristol, England. As a young social worker, in 1963 Stephenson led a boycott of the Bristol Omnibus Company, protesting against 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 in August. In 1964 Stephenson achieved national fame when he refused to leave a public house until he was served, resulting in a trial on a charge of failing to leave a licensed premises. His campaigns were instrumental in paving the way for the first Race Relations Act, in 1965. Stephenson is a Freeman of the City of Bristol and was awarded an Order of the British Empirein 2009.