A Toast to Human Rights: Celebrating the Contributions of Esteemed Speakers

Human Rights speakers play a vital role in raising awareness of critical human rights issues, inspiring collective action, and empowering individuals to make a difference. Through their powerful speeches and personal stories, these speakers can captivate audiences, foster empathy and understanding, and drive meaningful change.

• David Lammy – MP for Tottenham and the Shadow Foreign Secretary
• Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu – Lawyer and human rights activist
• Ade Adepitan – Paralympic wheelchair basketball player
• Philip Baldwin –LGBTQ+ and HIV human rights activist
• Nigel Owens MBE – The first openly gay man in professional rugby
• Reverend Richard Coles – Openly gay priest and television personality
• Bob Geldof – Musician, Activist and Founder of BandAid
• Lord Chris Holmes – Former Paralympic swimmer and disability campaigner
• Dr. Leanne Levers – Social justice activist and co-founder of Dope Black Women
• Lady Phyll Opoku-Gyimah – Founder of UK Black Pride
• Catherine Mayer – Co-founder and President of the Women’s Equality Party
• I. Stephanie Boyce – First president of colour of the Law Society
• Jill Nalder – HIV/AIDS activist and Russel T Davies’ inspiration behind ‘It’s a Sin’
• Deborah Frances-White – Host of The Guilty Feminist podcast and human rights ambassador

David Lammy is the Harvard educated MP for Tottenham. One of the leading agenda setters in the fields of social activism, diversity and multi-culturalism, David led the campaign for the Windrush British Citizens to be granted full British Citizenship. Additionally, he has been at the forefront of the fight for justice for the families affected by the Grenfell Fire.

Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu is a keen media contributor. As a political & women’s rights activist, Shola taught intersectional feminism to female refugees and asylum seekers. Furthermore, she is well known for scrutinising government policies from a gender and diversity inclusion perspective; and co-organises women’s marches and social campaigns. She is the author of ‘This is Why I Resist.’

Ade Adepitan is best known for being part of the wheelchair basketball GB team that won the bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens and the gold medal at the 2005 Paralympic World Cup in Manchester.

Also known for his TV presenting, Ade Adepitan has spoken out about disability representation and has said he felt like he and other disabled people were previously “fighting for their place in society” due to a lack of representation of the community on TV and in other forms of media.

Philip Baldwin was diagnosed with HIV in 2010. Since then, Philip has authored a HIV awareness blog and been involved in activism to support the LGBTQ+ and HIV Philip supports and campaigns for a huge variety of charities including Stonewall, the Albert Kennedy Trust, the Terrence Higgins Trust, Positively UK and the UK Lesbian and Gay Immigration Group. Philip is a Stonewall Role Model and has a column in Gay Times.

Nigel Owens MBE is the first openly gay man in professional rugby. After being  born and raised in the close-knit village of Mynyddcerrig in Carmarthenshire and having a career as a rugby referee, Nigel Owens was not able to be open about his sexuality until 2007. This was after periods of battling ill mental health and eating disorders.

Since coming out, Nigel has worked in campaigning for equality, inclusiveness and mental health. He has since been named ‘Gay Sports Personality of the Year’ and ‘Gay Sports Personality of the Decade’ by gay rights group Stonewall.

Reverend Richard Coles is a high-profile openly gay priest, Richard Coles is increasingly asked to address audiences around the themes of LGBTQ+, Diversity and Inclusion. He also has a particular interest in housing and building communities — he is the Patron and former board member of Greatwell Homes housing association – and has spoken to several national conferences on this theme.

Bob Geldof is widely recognised for his activism, especially his anti-poverty efforts concerning Africa. In 1984, he and Midge Ure founded the charity supergroup Band Aid to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia. Bob Geldof has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 8 times, more than any living nominee, and was honoured with a knighthood by HM Queen Elizabeth II. He also received the Nobel Man of Peace award from Mikhail Gorbachev.

Lord Holmes of Richmond MBE is best known for being Britain’s most successful Paralympic swimmer. As well as this, Chris is a passionate advocate for the disabled community.

Through his Private Members Bill Chris has worked to end the injustice of unpaid internships.

Chris is also Deputy Chair of Channel 4 and Diversity Adviser to the Civil Service.

Lady Phyll Opoku-Gyimah is a Ghanian-British lesbian who is a political activist best known for her work in racial, gender and LGBTQ+ equality. She is co-founder of UK Black Pride and executive director of Kaleidoscope Trust.

She is an exceptional human rights advocate and a truly phenomenal speaker.

Catherine Mayer is a writer, activist, speaker and the co-founder and President of the Women’s Equality Party. She co-founded the Primadonna Festival, which had its debut in 2019. Catherine proposed the idea of the Women’s Equality Party at the Southbank Centre, during the WOW-Women of the World-Festival, and agreed with Sandi Toksvig to co-found the party.

I. Stephanie Boyce was the 177th, the sixth female, the first black office holder, the first person of colour and the second in-house solicitor in almost 50 years to become president of the Law Society of England and Wales.

She holds a master of laws in public law and global governance from King’s College, University of London and is a fellow of the Chartered Governance Institute.

Stephanie is a captivating speaker on social mobility, women’s issues, race equality and LGBTQ+ issues. She is a staunch advocate of human rights and a true inspiration.

Jill Nalder is a Welsh actress and activist. She is known for her career in theatre as well as her contributions to HIV/AIDS activism.

She was the inspiration behind character Jill Baxter in the Channel 4 series It’s a Sin.

Jill was one of the founding members of the charity Theatre MAD and has raised over £10 million for HIV/AIDS charities.

She is the author of the memoir Love From the Pink Palace, which recounts Jill’s experiences during the height of the AIDS pandemic in the 1980s in which she experienced significant losses of her loved ones.

Deborah Frances-White is a comedian and the host of The Guilty Feminist podcast. She is a leading voice for gender equality and diversity and inclusion. Deborah is passionate about human rights and is an Amnesty Ambassador.

Dr Leanne Levers is an accomplished advocate for social justice, gender equality, and racial justice.

She has been at the forefront of efforts to address gender-based violence, promote children’s rights, improve maternal health, and challenge the death penalty.

Her work strives to assure that the voices and needs of marginalised communities are central to policy discussions and decision-making processes.

Leanne is the author of “Decolonising Restorative Justice: A Case for Policy Reform.”

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