Jason Arday: Lacking Empathy in the Era of Digital Terrorism and Global Black Deaths
Image Credit: Guardian
Yesterday, I woke up to learn about the death of Cambridge scholar Jason Arday. It has given me chills. I read a post by a social media influencer that I initially could not discern at the time. When the post mentioned “death”, I assumed that he was speaking in a euphemistic, figurative sense. No. Jason Arday was actually physically dead. He was smeared by the UK media. He was accused of successfully succeeding all the way through to attaining a doctorates degree and securing a professorship at Cambridge University - by way of committing plagiarism. This is not a reflection piece to validate or dispute those claims. This is an appeal to our humanity and higher conscience. It’s a fact that plagiarism in academia or even in the literature world - which is predominantly white - is historically not uncommon. Yet, there were approximately 188 articles written about Dr. Arday within the last 8 days. That’s not including the numerous news videos or Youtube discussions on the matter. Whereas, his prime accuser Nathan Cothnas, appears to have purposely targeted Dr. Arday to justify or give credence to his anti-black, “race realism” and anti-DEI philosophies.
To be clear, in spite of any accusations, Dr. Jason Arday should still be living today and strongly supported by the communities that he loved and advocated for. At first, he was virtually killed for being black, beautiful and brilliant. He was virtually assassinated for being unapologetically thoughtful, compassionate and having love for his community in the most authentic way. But his selfless love and sense of authenticity somehow made others uncomfortable as they reflect undignifiedly at their own image in the mirror of perspectives. Jason Arday was an intellectually appealing, physically attractive and healthy, vibrant Black man in his 40s living in the United Kingdom. His gentle smile, still with full elasticity, exuded his sheer, beautiful energy. At the age of 37, he was the youngest Black scholar that taught at Cambridge University.
In 1975, Toni Morrison explained that “…the very serious function of racism is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over and over again, your reason for being…” After the recent mysterious death of Nolan Wells and then the more recent revelations of the lynching deaths of 6 young Black people in the U.S. in 2026, I reflect more on Morrison’s words because it’s amazing that we’re still needing to plead to the hearts and consciousness of others about the precious lives of Black people, globally. The smearing and ongoing harassment against Jason Arday hits so very close to home, personally. More recently, I have also experienced online stalking by a particularly unhealed, obsessed, female stalker. Stalking and harassment is done with the intent to project fear, distraction, loss, etc. I have never had any personal nor professional relationship nor mutual social connections with this unhinged, female stalker. Last year, I filed a legal complaint against her in which her employer, knowingly, absolved. To retaliate, she deliberately and secretly infiltrated personal and professional spaces and contact groups that I had established, with the intent to cause disruption or create harm: secret smear campaigns, constant manipulation and mirroring of intellectual concepts and themes, etc.
There seems to be a dark, psychopathic, obsessive element attached to online harassment and stalking. Online stalking and mirroring also seem to stem from toxic attachment styles and self-identity issues. The manipulation from a stalker is so deeply infested that it seems intended to induce fear, silence, physical or emotional ailments, material limitations …or just simply self-annihilation... This is where we are today in our world of digital social space culture, where there’s no empathy nor accountability for violating others’ boundaries.
The tragedy of Dr. Jason Arday evidences another day about how real and pervasive anti-blackness, anti-black misogyny and online harassment and stalking is. The loss of Jason Arday’s life is deeply saddening and was avoidable but where was the community support amidst all of the attacks placed against him? Thankfully, this situation has triggered a significantly large response from the global Black community and many others. Their sharing about their own personal experiences with harassment or stalking - due to extreme idealism - is hopeful in enlightening everyone about how pervasive the toxic culture is. Anyone that knows me, knows that I prefer to move peacefully through spaces that are harmonious and reciprocal. But no one should ever mistake peace for passivity nor consent. That would be fruitless and foolish. I cherish my privacy as something sacred and demand that space and boundaries are respected. In my late experiences, I do feel the need to move more cautiously - both virtually and in these local streets.
Rest in Power, Dr. Arday.
©2026 Barbara Columbus