Ian Murray Working Hard for Edinburgh South
Update from Vineet Lal:
- Saroj was a pioneering educator, activist and campaigner in Scottish race relations during the 1970s, 80s and 90s.
- A committed feminist and trailblazer for equal opportunities, as director of LREC she was at the forefront of race relations during a period of immense political and social change. Never afraid to challenge the establishment, she worked with a formidable range of public and third sector agencies – including the Home Office, NHS and police force – to champion the rights of the disadvantaged and the voiceless.
- She was also one of Edinburgh’s earliest BAME primary school teachers when she began teaching at South Morningside Primary School on 20 August 1970. In 1986 she became the first Asian woman in Scotland to be appointed as a Justice of the Peace. Her training as a schoolteacher was instrumental in preparing her for her later work in multi-culturalism and anti-racist education. She would go on to challenge perceptions and stereotypes throughout her career, fighting for equality, diversity and fairness for all.
- A new primary school is being built on Canaan Lane in Morningside. One of the two options (along with Canaan Lane Primary School) for naming the school being put forward by the Council is Saroj Lal Primary School. The decision is to be made (via a Council survey) by the pupils of South Morningside, Bruntsfield, James Gillespie’s and St Peter’s R.C. primary schools in August.
Campaign update
- The campaign website is now live: www.sarojlal.com
- The Facebook page is at: www.facebook.com/SarojLalPrimarySchool
- Three stunning outdoor posters have been installed in South Edinburgh: at The Open Door at Morningside Station, at the Church Hill Theatre, and by Bruntsfield Links in partnership with Edinburgh Bicycle Cooperative.
- Look out for the campaign door drops w/c Monday 9 August and w/c Monday 16 August, and the specially-wrapped editions of The Scotsman (Saturday 14 August) and the Edinburgh Evening News (Saturday 21 August).
- Look out also for the special edition of The Cryer w/c Monday 9 August.
Support the campaign
You can support the campaign in the following ways:
- Share Saroj’s story among your family and friends, especially those with connections to any of the four schools listed above. Download the full proposal at: www.sarojlal.com
- Sign and share the supporting petition: www.change.org/SarojLalPrimarySchool
- Email your message of support (with ‘Saroj Lal Primary School’ in the subject line) to the Convenor of the Council’s Education Committee: ian.perry@edinburgh.gov.uk
Article in The Scotsman, Thursday 15 July