Tag: Anti-racism

Development of the new Anthony Walker Education Centre

Posted on | by Chelsey

This month we have been delighted to support the International Slavery Museum in the design of an educational space in the museum (currently closed for redevelopment) that will carry Anthony’s name and continue his legacy. 

From the opening of International Slavery Museum in 2007, until it closed for redevelopment in 2025, the original Anthony Walker Education Centre served as a safe space within the museum for young people to hold conversations, events and participate in workshops exploring themes within the museum. The Centre was inspired by our work here at Anthony Walker Foundation to tackle racism, hate crime and discrimination, and ensure a powerful legacy for Anthony. 

The reimagined museum will feature new spaces for people to connect, reflect and discover. To ensure that Liverpool’s young people have a role in shaping the design of the new space named after Anthony, students from four of our ‘Tackling Racism in Schools Awards’ programme partner schools: Childwall Sports and Science Academy, Belvedere Academy, St. Hilda’s Church of England High School, and Liverpool College were invited to attend two workshops; where they worked with the Learning and Participation team at International Slavery Museum, and Kossy Nnachetta, an architect from Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios.

In both sessions, the students presented their ideas for the new space with thoughtful suggestions such as a mural dedicated to Anthony featuring the things he loved and who he was. Colour schemes; a book corner containing books on all topics, and for all ages; plants; ambient music; and a quiet sensory area were some of the idea shared with Kossy, the lead architect, who made plenty of notes to build these ideas into her plan for the new space. Dr. Gee Walker also attended the sessions, moving around the room to hear from the students, speaking to them in smaller groups and giving feedback and praise for their ideas and plans. 

Claire Benjamin, Head of Learning & Participation, said: “For almost 20 years the Anthony Walker Education Centre welcomed many thousands of young people through its doors. We were proud to name the space after Anthony and with the blessings of his family, and the Anthony Walker Foundation, support their work to explore legacies of racial slavery and the impact it continues to have on young people today.
As we plan for the future of International Slavery Museum it is an honour to continue this relationship, and a joy to bring the vision and ideas of Liverpool’s young people into the conversation with our brilliant architects, to steer and inform the design.”  

Judith Agis, Tackling Racism in Schools (TRSA) Programme Manager, said: “We are grateful to National Museums Liverpool for this opportunity. It not only continues the long-standing partnership between National Museums Liverpool and Anthony Walker Foundation but, by inviting our TRSA Student Ambassadors to assist in the redesign of the Anthony Walker Education Centre within the new International Slavery Museum, it also engages the next generation.” 

In a few months, once the architects have met to rework the plans, there will be a third session for further feedback from the students. We are all excited to see the designs and see the students’ ideas come to life in the Anthony Walker Education Centre. 

We’d like to give a big thank you to our TRSA Ambassadors for their enthusiastic involvement, it was incredible to hear all your thoughts, and to National Museums Liverpool for this opportunity. It continues the long-standing partnership between National Museums Liverpool and Anthony Walker Foundation and invites the next generation to design a space that will be used by young people as a learning space for generations to come. 

Join us for a night of celebration!

Posted on | by Chelsey

🌟We are hosting our 20th Anniversary Charity Gala on Thursday 23rd October 2025 at Rum Warehouse, Titanic Hotel🌟

All proceeds will support the continuation of the work AWF are doing in the community. Join us in celebrating Anthony’s legacy and the work of the AWF, and enjoy a wonderful evening of fun, entertainment, fine dining, and making a difference.🎉

This year we commemorate the 20th anniversary of Anthony’s passing and the ongoing work of the Anthony Walker Foundation Family, and we are delighted to share the news of this special event. The support from our followers has been invaluable to the charity, and your presence at this event would be greatly appreciated to the Walker family, the AWF team, the community and wider afield – to those who have been uplifted and able to laugh again through your kindness.

Anthony’s murder was sadly an evil and senseless act of racial violence, which robbed our world of his potentials and unique greatness.  It also ignited a movement throughout the Foundation, that bears his name. The past two decades have been a journey of grief, resilience, education, forgiveness, the pursuit of racial justice, understanding and much more. Along the path there has also been a journey of love — love for Anthony and a deep fondness for all who have joined us in supporting his legacy and embracing his memory. We have been able to provide support, raise awareness, and we are constantly challenging the hate that claimed his life. We cannot continue to do this without your help.

Please support us by purchasing a ticket to join us for this night of commemoration and celebration! Together, we can continue the work that began in Anthony’s name and ensure his legacy lives on for generations to come.

The evening will include a welcome drink on arrival and a chance to network, a three-course meal with 1/2 bottle wine per person (alternative alcohol-free options available) followed by tea or coffee, entertainment throughout the evening, and chances to win fantastic prizes in our fundraising auction and raffle.

Purchase your ticket now and help us make an impact!🩷

To buy individual tickets, please click here
Tables and tiered sponsorship packages are available for purchase here

Your support has given us strength and hope for a safer future. For that, I am eternally grateful. Thank you, and God bless you hugely. -Dr. Gee Walker

Anthony Walker Foundation Launches ‘Speak Out! Stop Hate.’ Campaign

Posted on | by Jake Ward | Leave a Comment on Anthony Walker Foundation Launches ‘Speak Out! Stop Hate.’ Campaign

The Anthony Walker Foundation is set to launch a new hate crime reporting tool as part of its ‘Speak Out! Stop Hate.’ campaign, in response to the worrying number of instances of hate crime that go unreported nationally.

According to official government statistics, in the year ending March 2020, there were 105,090 hate crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales, an increase of eight per cent compared with year ending March 2019 (97,446 offences).

In addition, in 2020, the Anthony Walker Foundation saw a 126% increase in people accessing support compared to the previous year, across Merseyside. This campaign and reporting tool, funded through the Race and Faith Grant scheme run by the Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), have been designed to encourage people to report hate crime and provide an easy and accessible way for people to provide reports safely and anonymously. The tool will allow the Anthony Walker Foundation to gain insight into real-time reports, which will inform and support intervention to combat hate crime.

The launch of the campaign and reporting tool on Monday 22nd February, comes a day after Anthony’s birthday, and marks 15 years after he was tragically murdered in a racially motivated attack.

Dominique Walker, vice chair at the Anthony Walker Foundation, said:

“Whether because of confusion around what constitutes a hate crime, a lack of awareness, or simply not knowing where to go, the amount of hate crimes going unreported is incredibly worrying and, without this insight, it is much harder for us to tackle the issue head-on.

“This campaign provides much needed fresh impetus for everyone to feel empowered to step up and oppose hate crime in any way we can. Whether it’s reporting offences, responding effectively to those experiencing hate crime, or putting measures and resources in place to prevent hate crime, we can all collectively contribute to making our communities safer for all.”

Communities Minister Lord Greenhalgh, said:

“This Government is working hard to cut crime, recruiting 20,000 new police officers and providing funding to local communities to help make their streets safer. Our Faith, Race and Hate Crime Grant Scheme is supporting organisations like the Anthony Walker Foundation and stamp out prejudice and discrimination.

“Everyone should feel safe in the public realm, and we are delighted to support this ambitious pilot programme to encourage people in Liverpool to report hate crime in a safe and accessible way. This programme will give real insight to support our work to combat crime and I look forward to seeing the results.”

Speak Out! Stop Hate. has been created in partnership with social enterprise, Agent Academy and will also include the delivery of a host of education and training opportunities, to raise awareness and increase confidence when tackling hate crime across the Liverpool City Region.

Zoe Wallace, director at Agent Academy, said:

“Encouraging and supporting young people to tackle the issues that are most important to them, is at the heart of Agent Academy, which is why we’re so proud that this campaign is powered by young people, who are passionate about leading a movement for change. It’s more important than ever before that we urgently challenge hate and discrimination not just across Liverpool City Region, but nationally. Positive, long-lasting change only ever happens when people are galvanised to make a difference. That’s exactly what this project will do.”

As part of the launch week, the Anthony Walker Foundation is hosting a series of events including a launch event webinar on Monday 22nd February, featuring an expert panel, a ‘Train the Trainer’ taster webinar aimed at professionals on Wednesday 24th February, as well as a question-and-answer session across the Foundation’s social media accounts on Thursday 25th February.