Who can forget the events of April 1993 when the black teenager Stephen Lawrence was set upon by white teenagers.

Stephen's father now back in the Caribbean forgave his son's white attackers. Stephen's mother Doreen is now a Lady serving in the House of Lords.

The Stephen Lawrence documentary first aired last night and is in three parts. Audience reaction to the programme was horror and andy were upset.

Many viewers took to Twitter and Facebook to express their horror and outrage.

Family and friends who knew Stephen all spoke about him in glowing terms. They have admitted he was not perfect but did not deserve to die. Had he lived, Stephen wanted to have a professional career.

Other attacks

As we remember the awful attack on an innocent teenager, are we forgetting others? There have been other attacks on Black People in the UK. Was the Stephen Lawrence murder a watershed moment in racist attacks in the UK?

Had Stephen Lawrence been white would this attack have still been remembered and highlighted?

Would a documentary have been made about it in three parts?

Black teenagers kidnapped a disabled white 18-year-old and subjected him to ridicule and torture. This was carried out and posted on Facebook. Another attack occurred in Glasgow a few years ago where Asian youths kidnapped a white youth and murdered him. It sometimes seems because Stephen Lawrence was black his life somehow matters more.

The UK still racist?

Racism is still alive and well in the UK because you will never stamp it out completely. Laws on hate crime are tighter today but can you legislate for how people think?

Racism is not just a white on black thing and it occurs in every community. The UK, for sure, seems a more tolerant place but scratch the surface and it is still there.

Is racism a natural reaction to someone who appears different from the norm? Is it like the fight or flight reaction which is a natural thing in humans?

Humans are tribal creatures and we tend to feel safer sometimes surrounded by those who are like us. That can be race, nationality, faith, fashion and whether we like it or not, that is part of being human.

Will racism be overcome? Well, that would certainly be a utopian dream. Can we look forward to a future where people do not care about what you look like?

The Obama experiment of a post-racial America was tried but unfortunately, it failed in some aspects. If anything, race became and continues to become more of an issue in the US and perhaps elsewhere too.