The Mary Seacole Trust is supporting calls for an immediate public inquiry into the tragic death of academic Jason Arday who was subjected to a massive media campaign leading up to and following his resignation as a professor at Cambridge University.
Dr Arday, Cambridge University’s youngest black professor, was found dead at his home in London on 14 August following weeks of high-profile and intense media coverage alleging that he was guilty of plagiarism. He refuted the allegations but resigned on 5 August. However, he and his family continued to be hounded by some sections of the media even after he resigned.
The petition has been launched by the Good Law Project and is signed by a wide range of people across society, including MPs, lawyers, actors and others. The petition statement claims that racism lay at the heart of the story and compares treatment of the previously unknown Dr Arday with that of other major, white, public figures who were similarly accused of plagiarism, but experienced nothing like the harassment faced by Dr Arday and his family.
Mary Seacole Trust Chair, Dr Felicia Kwaku (H.C) Hon, OBE, RGN, FRCN, described Dr Arday’s death as “shocking and tragic”. She said: “My heart goes out first and foremost to Jason’s family who are grieving the loss of a much-loved son, husband and father. Our thoughts and condolences are with you.”
But she added: “We need to recognise that there are many questions to be asked about the treatment of Dr Arday, and there needs to be significant learning so that this tragedy is not repeated. It raises issues about race in the media and wider society, but there also needs to be reflection on the duty of the media to act with humanity and responsibility in relation to vulnerable individuals. That is why the Mary Seacole Trust is supporting the call for an immediate open inquiry”.
The petition statement points out that several weeks ago, Simon Baron-Cohen, head of Cambridge University’s Autism Research Centre, warned that the hounding of Dr Arday raised safeguarding issues as the 41-year-old man had been diagnosed early in life with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
MP Dawn Butler, a supporter of the Mary Seacole Trust, has written to the press regulator IPSO asking them to take action against some of the newspapers who hounded Dr Arday. The MP states that she took part in an emergency meeting of leaders in the Black Community following the news of Dr Arday’s death. “I would not be exaggerating to say that the overwhelming reaction to the tragic death of Jason Arday is one of genuine fear, anger and concern,” she writes.
Professor Sir Patrick Vernon OBE, social commentator and campaigner, has launched a GoFundMe fundraising campaign to help support Dr Arday’s family. He describes Dr Arday as “a gentle soul”, author, educator and advocate “whose extraordinary journey inspired people across Britain and internationally. His appointment at the University of Cambridge was historic, and his work brought important attention to race, education, inequality and neurodiversity.”
https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-memory-of-dr-jason-atta-kwei-arday
A vigil at Trafalgar Square in London was organised for 6pm on Monday 17th August.
