Professor Jason Arday: Family and friends pay tribute at London memorial

Diane Abbott, Dawn Butler, Lisa Nandy and Lord Simon Woolley were also among those attending. GBC reported that London’s mayor, British MPs, Cambridge scholars and former students joined the gathering to remember the academic’s life and contributions.

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Mr Ablakwa offered his condolences and described the service as deeply moving and unforgettable. He recalled Arday’s words about taking a thread and needle to interweave love into society.

Born and raised in Clapham, south London, Arday became Professor of Sociology of Education at the University of Cambridge in March 2023. He was 37 when appointed, making him the youngest Black professor in the university’s history. His academic career had previously taken him to Roehampton, Durham and Glasgow, where he became a professor in 2021.

His research examined racial inequality in education, the experiences of Black students and the barriers facing ethnic minority academics. In 2015, he co-edited the Runnymede Trust report Aiming Higher with Professor Claire Alexander, exploring racial and ethnic inequality in British universities. His work also addressed mental health and neurodiversity, with a focus on widening access to higher education.

Arday graduated from St Mary’s in Education Studies and Physical Education in 2008 and returned for a master’s degree in Education and Pedagogy. The university awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2024, recognising his contributions to academic life, charity work and its own community.

The service brought together people who had known Arday through different parts of his life, offering an opportunity to remember both his achievements and the values he championed.