Dear readers,
Dr Jason Arday’s tragic death has reverberated across the world, prompting an outpouring of grief alongside anger and abuse directed at people perceived to have wronged him.
A crowdfunding campaign launched by Sir Patrick Vernon to support his bereaved family has raised more than £222,000 so far and over 138,000 people have called for a public inquiry into media coverage of Jason before his passing last Friday.
Nathan Cofnas, the racist academic behind attacks against Jason, was suspended by Ghent University in Belgium, where he worked, this week.
We once again offer our heartfelt condolences to the Arday family. We also unequivocally condemn the abuse being directed at Black journalists, including abuse from within Black communities, as highlighted by the Black Writers’ Guild.
There is much that demands careful examination, including the circumstances preceding Jason’s death, the conduct of institutions and individuals and the wider response from across the political spectrum.
Recent analysis has begun examining the wider forces at play.
National correspondent Symeon Brown described the episode as “the intellectual stop and search of a Black Cambridge professor”, while a Byline Times investigation reported that the attacks were fuelled by figures within a wider Peter Thiel-linked race-science network with ties to Cambridge and the political right.
These complex and sensitive matters cannot be responsibly addressed in a few paragraphs of a weekly round-up. We will examine them more fully over the coming weeks.
Against that backdrop, several prominent figures have taken action in response to Jason’s passing and its wider aftermath:
Cheltenham Literature Festival guest curator Candice Carty-Williams withdrew from two events due to take place in October after learning that The Times was sponsoring the festival. She cited the newspaper’s silence following Jason Arday’s death. This is the longest-running literary festival in the world, by the way
Award-winning artist Speech Debelle revealed that she had withdrawn from an online panel scheduled with the University of Cambridge next week, adding: “We have to let them know we mean something”
Two leading Black academics, Professor Lez Henry and Professor Gus John, recently discussed the case and raised concerns about aspects of both the left-wing and right-wing responses (you can listen here from about 12 minutes in. Note that Black Current News does not endorse all views expressed during that conversation)
Scroll down for your weekly round-up of news shaping Black Britain and beyond.
London entrepreneur turns parking fine frustrations into AI-powered car management app
Estelle Agyeman created Karr after racking up parking fines and missing her MOT deadline as a young driver.
The AI-powered platform helps motorists and businesses manage fines, tolls, servicing, tax and other vehicle responsibilities in one place.
The 29-year-old now hopes to expand the app’s features and grow her team. More on this soon!
Meet the former Croydon Council staff member who’s using rap to explain policy to young people
Croydon poet and rapper Jenniah Brown is using rap and spoken word to make council policy easier for young people to understand.
His Arts Council-funded programme, Connecting Dots, will turn complex policies into performances and community discussions across four cities.
Jenniah hopes councils will embrace the approach as a more engaging alternative to poorly attended public consultations.
Passengers rally behind Hackney bus driver threatened with ban for ‘spreading joy’ by blowing bubbles
Passengers are rallying behind Hackney bus driver Ricki Reid after he was told to stop blowing bubbles from his cab over “safety concerns”.
The dad-of-six, known locally as the “bubble bus driver”, says his employer has been inundated with complaints over the ban.
Ricki said passengers want him to “keep on sharing the joy”.
Black Joy Bulletin
Iconic Desmond’s barbershop set to receive blue plaque in Peckham, South London
Veteran DJ Trevor Nelson is recovering well following a brain tumour diagnosis
Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Godmother of rock and roll, honoured with blue plaque in Manchester, UK, where she once performed
Dylan Law: Hackney’s 20-year-old deputy mayor and a dose of hope
Refugee passes GCSEs after fleeing war-torn Sudan
Angélique Kidjo recently made history by becoming the first African musician to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Chef Dom Taylor: Funeral fundraiser launched for beloved Caribbean food pioneer
A fundraiser has been organised by the friends of award-winning Caribbean chef Dominic “Dom” Taylor, who died last month.
The collection, endorsed by his family, will help support them in giving Dom a fitting send-off.
What else we’re reading
Revealed: London’s murder cases are far more likely to remain unresolved when the victim is a young Black man or when the killing involves a firearm
‘I’m known as The Black Farmer because there are so few of us in the UK. It’s one of the ways farming must change’ | Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones
Actor living with sickle cell takes deeply personal show to Edinburgh Fringe
Public in England and Wales wrongly think most killers are minority ethnic
Badenoch says Reform defectors ‘some of the most dishonest people I have met’
Harry and Meghan to move back to UK with children - and Black TikTok reacts
‘People are in tears’: South Bank traders given weeks to leave without explanation
Award-winning UK production company Rogan Productions opens South Africa office
‘Make journalism Black again’ | Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson
Black Labour MP suspended amid investigation into Covid-era loan
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