Reverend Jackson: Oxbridge losing out on Black talent

“The absence of Blacks diminishes the greatness of these universities” - these are the words by Reverend Jesse Jackson as he participated in a visit to the Oxford Union last night.

Reverend Jackson stressed the need for racial equality and what positions these elite universities could take in order to advance this. Reverend Jesse Jackson will be visiting Middlesex University this afternoon as part of his three day excursion where he has visited three different universities, two of which very different to his setting tonight, where he addresses both students and professors. During Reverend Jackson’s recent visit to Oxford and Cambridge Unions one message was constantly repeated, ‘enrol more BME students and embrace ‘positive access’.

Speaking about his visit, Reverend Jackson said:

I'm concerned that when 21 colleges at Oxbridge took no black students last year, the students are being cheated of a multi-cultural and multi-racial experience in a world that is multi-cultural and multi-racial."One Oxford college has not admitted a single black student in five years.”

Jackson stated that in 2009, just six black Caribbean candidates from the UK were admitted to Oxford, from a total of 2,653 new undergraduates. Reverend Jackson will be pleased to see the diverse body of students Middlesex University has to offer today as he concludes his UK tour celebrating the 50th anniversary year of Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream speech”.

The tour continues the visit this September organised by Operation Black Vote. Reverend Jackson participated Reverend Jackson is well known as a civil rights leader and has played a pivotal role in virtually every movement for empowerment, peace, civil rights, gender equality, and economic and social and racial justice. He was heavily tied to Martin Luther King as close friends and also colleagues striving for the same goal of political freedom and racial equality.

In his speech at the Cambridge Union on Monday , Reverend Jackson restated his pledge to continue helping those whose voices were less heard. He completed his speech yesterday by sharing his vision of a ‘colour caring’ world.

The event today has been organised by Professor of Investigative Journalism Kurt Barling and will take place at Middlesex University, Hendon Campus.

Mohamed Ali