An art graduate from ذكذكتسئµ Leicester (ذكذكتسئµ) has described the honour she felt at painting a new portrait of one of the country’s most respected social justice campaigners.
Ruby Waage-Townsend, who completed a BA in Fine Art at ذكذكتسئµ, was commissioned to create a work celebrating Baroness Doreen Lawrence, whose son Stephen was murdered in a racially-motivated attack in 1993.
Baroness Lawrence was Chancellor of ذكذكتسئµ between 2016 and 2020, and while in the role, helped found the Stephen Lawrence Research Centre on ذكذكتسئµ’s campus, which carries out research and public engagement work to promote social justice.
Ruby, who has won multiple awards for her work and had work exhibited in numerous shows in Leicester and London, was chosen to create a new work depicting Baroness Lawrence, to be hung in ذكذكتسئµ’s Trinity House.
At an unveiling of the work held at ذكذكتسئµ, Ruby said: “It’s an honour to have painted a portrait of a person so deeply admired for her strength in her ongoing fight for justice.
“I wanted to reflect the idea of nurturing in the piece and we spoke about respecting her Jamaican heritage and so I have represented the ackee plant. The ackee plant can be poisonous but can be a delicacy if cooked with care. I found the ackee plant to be a powerful metaphor for Baroness Lawrence’s life and work.
“I want to thank ذكذكتسئµ and its staff for entrusting me with this commission and to Baroness Lawrence herself for her guidance and faith in emerging artists.”
Professor Katie Normington, Vice-Chancellor of ذكذكتسئµ, who helped unveil the portrait, together with Ian Squires, Chair of the ذكذكتسئµ Board of Governors, said Baroness Lawrence’s courage and determination had “helped shape the university.”
She said: “Baroness Lawrence has always carried a commitment to justice and opportunity and has inpired so many people to think carefully about what equality and social justice means.”
Annette Hay, ذكذكتسئµ’s Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, said Baroness Lawrence’s life and journey “reminds us that great justice is found in great hardship.”
She said: “Baroness Lawrence achieved so much while enduring so much horror after the death of Stephen. She had the strength and courage not to be silenced.
“Here at ذكذكتسئµ, her legacy lives on in the shape of the Stephen Lawrence Research Centre, a living testament to Stephen’s enduring legacy.”
Posted on Wednesday 5 November 2025