Stephen explores the extraordinary ways in which Black people helped Britain fight the Great War, on the battlefield and at home, in this new illustrated edition of Black Poppies – The Story of Britain’s Black Community in the First World War (The History Press) for children. Among those we meet are Stephen’s Aunty Esther and Walter Tull, who led soldiers in some of history’s bloodiest battles.
Read more about the book here.
In 2022 Stephen was shortlisted for the Society for Theatre Research Book Prize for his acclaimed Deep Are the Roots: Trailblazers Who Changed Black British Theatre, published by The History Press. In May of the same year, he was honoured with the ‘Freedom of the Borough’ Civic Award by Southwark Council. The ceremony took place at the historic Southwark Cathedral and Stephen was recognised for his voluntary liaison work with the local police over 20 years and his contribution to Black British history over 30 years.
Deep Are the Roots (The History Press) celebrates the pioneers of black British theatre, beginning in 1825 when Ira Aldridge made history as the first black actor to play Shakespeare’s Othello in the United Kingdom, and ending in 1975 with the success of Britain’s first black-led theatre company.
In 2021 Stephen celebrates thirty years of writing black British history books. His first, Aunt Esther’s Story, was published in October 1991. To mark this achievement, he has written Deep Are the Roots – Trailblazers Who Changed Black British Theatre for The History Press. The book was published on 7 October 2021. Stephen is currently writing a children’s version of Black Poppies for The History Press, scheduled for publication in October 2022.
The Life of Dr Harold Moody, written by Stephen Bourne, celebrates one of history’s forgotten heroes, despite being regarded by some as the UK’s equivalent of Dr Martin Luther King Jnr, for his significant contributions towards the fight for racial equality in the UK.
Pearson is proud to have worked with Stephen Bourne to produce a new online version of his original booklet, The Life of Dr Harold Moody, to raise awareness of the life and achievements of Dr Moody. This eBook is freely accessible for primary and secondary schools to download, and includes discussion points for use with your class.
In 2021 Stephen celebrates thirty years of writing black British history books. His first, Aunt Esther’s Story, was published in October 1991. To celebrate, he is writing Deep Are the Roots: Trailblazers Who Changed Black British Theatre for The History Press. The book is scheduled for publication in September 2021.
On 9 September 2020 Stephen took part in BBC Radio 4’s Four Thought. In ‘Writing Black British History’ he talked about how we are short-changing young people by failing to teach them about the history of black Britons, whose stories, he believes, deserve wider recognition. In the podcast version his talk is followed by a short interview with the presenter Olly Mann.