In 2023, Jason Arday was appointed a professor of sociology at Cambridge University, making him the youngest Black professor there. Shortly after that, allegations that Arday plagiarized parts of his Ph.D thesis began.
Those allegations quickly spiraled into questions about every aspect of his life. After relentless attacks online and in the media, Arday resigned from this position, and a few days later he was found dead, likely taking his own life.
Tyler Austin Harper, a staff writer for The Atlantic, spoke to Vox about who is to blame for this tragedy. Is it the institutions that put Arday on a pedestal? Or the racist attacks and accusations of DEI online?
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