‘Always believe you can do something great’: Jason Arday’s message to Black children goes viral days after his death
TheGrio...
The former Cambridge professor, who was the youngest Black professor at the esteemed university, was found dead earlier this week at the age of 41.
Jason Arday‘s life as a celebrated public figure came unraveling last month when he was accused of plagiarism. But beyond one of the more traumatic periods of his life, the late scholar’s message to young Black children is resonating online following his death at the age of 41.
In a 2024 interview with Natalie Scarlett, Arday shared what he believed were key tenets for Black children across the globe, namely visualizing what they wanted to accomplish, always speaking positively of people and more.
“Will will always supersede skill because it’s immeasurable,” he said. “But apart from anything else, you must always believe that you can do something great and hope springs eternal.”
He continued, “Belief is everything. You have to believe you can do that. Surrounding yourself with really positive people and good people and repetition to hear those messages over and over again is really the catalyst of developing that way of thinking. Visualizing it. Manifesting it.Speaking it into existence and always speak good of people.”
He reiterated the importance of always having good deeds and good thoughts, because those intentions would come back around.
As she reshared the clip, Scarlett condemned those who slandered Arday, whether in blogs or on social media, noting that he was also accused of plagiarizing his story; he was never found guilty.
“You threw Jason under the bus,” Scarlett said, pointing toward the Black community. “You disassociated when you could no longer use him as your academic representative. You laughed and bullied him. Old school friends came online to laugh at his downfall. You dragged him and crucified him.”
She added, “I’m heartbroken. Something has truly changed in me today. RIP Jason.”
Arday rose to prominence after being diagnosed with autism spectrum at age three and not being able to speak until he was 11. As an academic, he published various works and discussions on race and in his autobiography, “Great and Unfortunate Things,” he wrote about his trials leading up to becoming Cambridge’s youngest Black professor.
Following his death, many slammed the criticism and abuse that he faced after accusations that he had fabricated parts of his accomplishments and life story, which became international news and front page headlines in Britain.
“Jason was subjected to a campaign of sustained abuse for the more than three years since he accepted the role of professor at Cambridge University by those who would leave no stone unturned in their quest to undermine him,” his family wrote in a statement. “The campaign of misinformation was too much for Jason, who was a gentle man and who always wanted to see the best in everyone.
“We are in shock to have lost this amazing father, partner, brother, uncle and son,” Arday’s family said, before asking the press to respect their privacy and to “stop the campaign of harassment which has been waged against Jason and his family for too long.”