Lee Jasper facts for kids

Lee Jasper (born 4 November 1958) is a British politician and activist. He worked as a Senior Policy Advisor for equality issues to the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, from 2004 until 2008. More recently, he has been active in politics and is known for his work on race relations.

Early Life and Education

Lee Jasper was born on November 4, 1958, in Oldham, Lancashire, England. His mother was British, with Irish and Sierra Leonean family roots. His father was from Jamaica. Growing up, he faced challenges related to racism. He started his career by selling second-hand clothes at a market stall. Later, he went back to school as an adult student. He earned a degree in social sciences from Manchester Polytechnic.

Career in London

In 1985, Lee Jasper moved to London. He became very involved with the Notting Hill Carnival, a large street festival. He became the leader of the Mangrove Community Association. In 1987, he was chosen as the Secretary of the Notting Hill Carnival. During this time, he worked to help the carnival grow and overcome challenges.

Over the next ten years, Jasper became a strong voice for race and human rights. He joined many important groups and committees. He helped start Operation Trident and the Royal Commonwealth Society. He also spoke at the Stephen Lawrence inquiry, representing a group called the 1990 Trust. He was part of the campaign for justice for Stephen Lawrence.

Lee Jasper also worked with the Metropolitan Police on community issues. He helped provide training courses to improve understanding between police and communities. This work stopped after the Brixton riots in 1995. Some people criticized him for his strong words before the violence. However, he has also been praised for helping to build better relationships between communities and the police in London.

Some politicians have criticized Lee Jasper's approach to race issues. However, others, like Simon Woolley, have called him "one of the nation's key black figures."

Jasper was the main political writer for The Voice newspaper during the 2010 election. In November 2012, he ran as a candidate for the Respect Party in the Croydon North by-election. He did not win, getting only a small percentage of the votes. At that time, he was a member of the Labour Party, but he was removed for running against them. He later admitted using online tools to help his campaign.

In 2016, Jasper rejoined the Labour Party to support Jeremy Corbyn. He was later suspended from the party in 2018 over controversial social media posts.

Activism and Community Work

Lee Jasper has been involved in many campaigns and groups. He was a member of the Coalition of Resistance (COR), which campaigned against government spending cuts. He also advised the 1990 Trust and was on the board of the Lambeth Police Consultative Group. He stepped down as Chair of Brixton Splash but remained a board member.

He co-founded BARAC (Black Activists Rising Against the Cuts) with Zita Holbourne. This group works against government austerity measures.

In 2015, writing for Inside Croydon, Jasper encouraged the black community to take responsibility for reducing youth violence. He has also been a prominent campaigner about deaths that happen while people are in police custody. He has raised awareness for cases like Sarah Reed and Mohamud Hassan.

Today, he is the Vice Chair of BAME Lawyers 4 Justice. This group works to stop the deportation of former offenders and UK residents who are considered Jamaican nationals. He is also a Strategic Adviser for Black Men 4 Change, a national network for Black African and Caribbean men.

Senior Political Advisor Role

From 2004 to 2008, Lee Jasper worked as the Director for Policing and Equalities for Ken Livingstone, who was then the Mayor of London. In this important role, he helped create and promote policies that aimed for fairness and equality across London. He was also responsible for making sure that the Greater London Authority (GLA) had fair employment practices and services. Additionally, he advised the Mayor on policing matters. His salary was raised to £111,000 a year in 2004, which was even higher than the Mayor's salary.

During his time as an advisor, he played a key part in the European Social Forum held in London in 2004. He also worked with Mayor Livingstone to host the Caribbean Showcase, an alternative carnival event at Hyde Park.

Jasper also defended Sir Ian Blair, a police chief, after the death of Jean Charles de Menezes. He also supported other police officers during his time as an advisor.

Resignation from Mayor's Office

In late 2007, a newspaper called the Evening Standard made accusations against Lee Jasper. Mayor Ken Livingstone suspended him while investigations took place. Livingstone believed Jasper was innocent.

In January 2008, Jasper was cleared of any wrongdoing. The Greater London Authority (GLA) stated that the accusations were "unfounded." They also said that the GLA had an excellent record in dealing with racism and promoting equality.

However, Lee Jasper resigned on March 4, 2008. This happened after the Evening Standard published emails he had written to a woman. This woman was involved with organizations that had received money from the Greater London Authority. Jasper had not officially reported his relationship with her. A GLA spokesperson confirmed his resignation.

After Ken Livingstone's term ended, the new Mayor, Boris Johnson, launched a detailed investigation into Jasper's decisions. This investigation, completed in July 2008, found that Jasper had acted within his role as a Mayoral advisor.

A later, independent investigation by a law firm, completed in June 2009, also found no evidence of fraud or corruption by Jasper. However, it did say that his involvement in one group that received funding was "entirely inappropriate." The report suggested that the GLA needed to improve its administrative procedures. It also noted that Jasper did not record his declared interests to the "standards expected."

Personal Life

Lee Jasper lives in Lambeth, south London. He has nine children and five grandchildren. He has shared that his youngest son was stabbed in 2010 while trying to stop a fight.

Awards and Recognition

Lee Jasper has received several awards for his work. In 2003, he was named among the top ten by 100 Black Britons. In 2010, the NUS Black Students Campaign gave him the National Black Achievers Award for Life Time Achievement. This was to recognize his important work for racial justice. He also received a Life Time Achievement Award for challenging racism in higher education.

In July 2010, he was given a Pride of the Motherland Award (Africa) at The O2 Arena. In July 2017, the C.H Hub Awards gave him their Legend Award. This award recognized his 30 years of work for social justice.