It is with profound sadness that the Trustees and staff of the Ipswich and Suffolk Council for Racial Equality (ISCRE) mark the passing of Ms Pam Littlejohn, a founding and longstanding member, honorary Vice President and one of the courageous pioneers whose vision and determination helped establish our charity in the 70s.

Pam was part of a remarkable generation of people who chose principle over comfort, justice over silence, and unity over division. At a time when speaking out against racial discrimination was neither fashionable nor easy, Pam and others had the bravery to put their heads above the parapet. They did so knowing full well that standing against prejudice could bring hostility, criticism, and personal attacks. Yet Pam never allowed fear or negativity to silence her conscience. She believed that when something is wrong, good people must speak and act.

That courage was not abstract, it was practical, personal, and deeply rooted in community. Some of the earliest discussions that led to the formation of ISCRE took place around Pam’s own kitchen table. That simple but powerful fact tells us everything about the kind of woman she was. She did not wait for grand venues, perfect conditions, or permission from others. She opened her home, gave her time, shared her energy, and helped create a movement for fairness and equality from the heart of her own household.

Pam understood that meaningful change often begins in ordinary places, with ordinary people doing extraordinary things together. Her kitchen became more than a room in a house, it became a place of ideas, resolve, fellowship, and hope. From conversations held there grew an organisation that has supported countless people, challenged injustice, and promoted better understanding across communities for decades.

In Pam’s own words, “All my life I have fought inequality and prejudice going back to my involvement with anti-apartheid movement in the 1970s.  When ISCRE started, we used to meet in my kitchen, and I remember my son was in a highchair next to me at the meeting table. At that time, the National Front was quite strong in Ipswich, and we would get racists letters and postcards through our letterboxes, but we kept going”.

What made Pam especially remarkable was that her commitment did not end with those early founding years. She remained a steadfast supporter of ISCRE, its values, and its work right up until the time of her passing. Through changing times, shifting politics, and new challenges, Pam’s belief in fairness, dignity, and racial justice never wavered. She took pride in the charity’s progress, cared deeply about its future, and continued to embody the principles on which it was built.

Her passing comes at a time when we are witnessing renewed racial discrimination, growing intolerance, and attacks on community cohesion. In such times, Pam’s life offers us both a warning and a lesson. The warning is that progress can never be taken for granted. The lesson is that positive change is always possible when people of courage come together across backgrounds and differences to stand for what is right.

Pam showed us that cohesive communities are not created by slogans or speeches alone. They are built patiently through relationships, hospitality, listening, solidarity, and moral courage. They are built when neighbours care for one another, when injustice is challenged, and when people choose common humanity over fear.

We honour Pam not only for what she did in 1977, but for the example she leaves us today. Her legacy lives on in every person supported by ISCRE, in every act of fairness promoted, and in every effort to bring communities together. She helped plant seeds whose fruit continues to nourish generations.

On behalf of the Trustees and staff of ISCRE, we extend our deepest condolences to Pam’s family, friends, and all who knew and loved her. We give thanks for her life, her friendship, her courage, and her unwavering belief that Suffolk could be a fairer and kinder place for all.

May we remember Pam Littlejohn with gratitude.

May we honour her with action.

May we continue the work she helped begin.