Professor Jason Arday – A Statement from BAATN on his Death

To our members, allies and friends

We write with heavy hearts to mark the tragic death of Professor Jason Arday, a brilliant Black scholar whose life ended far too soon. His passing is not only a devastating loss to his family, friends and colleagues, but a moment of collective grief for Black communities who see in his story a familiar pattern of dehumanising scrutiny that Black men in public life are too often forced to endure.

The Human Cost of Media Scrutiny

Professor Arday’s death comes after weeks of intense media attention, public allegations and a level of scrutiny that his family describe as a “campaign of sustained abuse”. While questions about academic integrity are legitimate, the scale, tone and framing of the coverage crossed into something more damaging: a relentless, public dissection that treated a human being as a spectacle rather than a person.

For many Black people, this feels familiar. Black men in particular are often subjected to a kind of media treatment that strips away their humanity, reducing them to objects of inferiority, suspicion, ridicule or moral judgement. This is not accountability; it is a form of public lynching, where the court of public opinion is weaponised to punish, shame and isolate.

A Call to Therapists of Colour, Counsellors, Allies and Friends

To our BAATN members, allies and friends—therapists, counsellors and healers of colour: we need your voices now more than ever. In spaces of grief and anger, we need compassionate reminders that Black people are not objects, not case studies, not symbols, but human beings with dignity, complexity and worth. Your work is vital in helping our communities process this trauma, name what has happened, and resist the internalisation of dehumanising narratives.

We ask you to speak openly and take action about:

• The psychological toll of racist media practices and hyper-surveillance.
• The impact of being constantly judged and dissected in public.
• The urgent need for collective healing and culturally attuned support.

Your words and actions can help re-centre the humanity of Black men like Jason, and remind us all that our lives matter beyond the headlines. For those seeking support, BAATN’s directory of Black, African, Asian and Caribbean heritage therapists remains a key resource, alongside other community-led services.

Holding the Media to Account

BAATN stands firmly in support of an independent inquiry. We believe that lasting, systemic change must be put in place to stop racist media attacks on Black celebrities and public figures. You may wish to join this campaign from the Good Law Project

Remembering Jason Arday

Professor Jason Arday was more than a headline. He was a son, a husband, a father, a scholar and a trailblazer who became Cambridge’s youngest Black professor. His death is a tragedy that demands reflection, accountability and change.

Let us honour his memory by insisting that Black lives are treated with the dignity and compassion they deserve, and by supporting one another through the grief and anger this moment has unleashed.

In solidarity,

BAATN Leadership and Advisory Team – The Black, African and Asian Therapy Network

Listening to Professor Jason Arday: further action and support you may wish to take.

Professor Jason Arday in conversation with counsellor Rotimi Akinsete for Black Men on The Couch Series – 1hr 10 mins into the video. Video link

BBC podcast – Beyond Lonely. This series takes a personal look at a growing problem: loneliness. Professor Jason Arday explores his own experience of it. Podcast link

This resource tracks the pressure that Professor Jason Arday was under from the media: every article the national press published about him, outlet by outlet, day by day, from the first Telegraph report to the evening of his death. Link to resource

BAATN therapist directory Link