AJ Tracey launches fund to help support and mentor Black students at Oxford University
‘The whole country is catered towards white people and we’re just trying to level the playing field by helping Black kids’
Pieter SnepvangersAJ Tracey has created a fund to help support and mentor Black students at Oxford University.
The rapper is donating £40,000 over the next three years to help ethnic minority students through the process of applying and their time at Oxford University.
Speaking to The Guardian, Tracey said: “For anyone who doesn’t understand why Black people who have managed to become successful want to help Black kids, it should be self-explanatory. The whole country is catered towards white people and we’re just trying to level the playing field by helping Black kids.”
The fund wants to tackle “historic underrepresentation” at Oxford and will offer mentorship and financial assistance on a case-by-case basis to students. Financial assistance will include practical costs like train tickets or other costs which help to “support the student experience of those from low-income backgrounds”.
The West London rapper wants to make sure once students are at Oxford, they are also supported. “Being a minority in England is one thing, but then being a minority at your place of education is quite difficult,” he said. “Obviously, if they live in Oxford as well then they’re also a minority there. So just basically in every category, they’re a minority and that’s always going to be hard.”
AJ Tracey isn’t looking to set specific targets for success. “Success can be even as small as the current students saying their time [at Oxford] was a lost easier,” he said.
The AJ Tracey Fund is working alongside St Peter’s. According to Tracey, working with the college, which has welcomed black students since its inception 1929, was a “no brainer”.
“They specifically try to get people more of a mixed background, and they’re already working on that task. So for me, it felt like a no-brainer, if the train is already up and running, to help it go.
“I didn’t just walk in there and think, ‘Let me just randomly sling money at a random cause, you know.”
Head of the college, Judith Buchanan said: “[We are] delighted to have AJ Tracey in our world. With his generous support we look forward to seeing current and future talented Black students flourish in their time here.”
Related stories recommended by this writer:
• An Oxford college is set to be renamed after the CEO of Vietnamese ‘bikini airline’
• Number of students investigated for cheating at Oxford Uni up by 120 per cent in two years
Meta
Oxford student who died celebrating end of exams said uni was ‘the best period of my life’
Emily SmithThe first year PPE student has been named
A man has been arrested after stalking Emma Watson as she studies at the University of Oxford
He came to the UK with only a sleeping bag, £800, and a desire to ‘gain information’ about the actress
Omg, Emma Watson is currently dating one of her coursemates at the University of Oxford
They were pictured getting a Gail’s together in Oxford
University of Oxford issues statement after first year student dies in river
Phoebe KowhaiThe 19-year-old had ‘dived’ into the river to celebrate the end of his exams
Oxford University student dies in river whilst celebrating end of exams
The 19-year-old was wearing ‘academic dress’ at the time
Oxford student unlocks door in halls to find a terrifying devil room complete with blood
He’s been living next to it for an entire YEAR
Oxford University rises in new world university ranking to narrowly beat Cambridge
The university now ranks third in the world overall
Students launch encampment in solidarity with Palestine at The University of Oxford
Tents have been pitched outside the Pitt Rivers and Natural History Museums
Omg guys, Jacob Elordi is going to Oxford University in October to study English
Lydia Spencer-ElliottHe fell in love with the campus while filming Saltburn
Oxford Uni lecturer stalked by man who flew 4,000 miles to her with a can of pepper spray
He sent his bags to her office and wanted her to ‘be his Valentine’
Oxford Uni chaplain who compared sex offenders to ‘puppies needing training’ given welfare role
He asked one student assault victim if they were ‘aware of the effect they had on men’, but has now secured a post at another college
These are the subjects you need to study at Oxbridge to more than double your grad salary
In one subject, studying it at Oxbridge over any other uni will get you £47k more per year
Oxford University College offers students a Halal menu option but it includes… red wine
One student said she was ‘sadly not surprised’ at the mistake
Two of Emma Watson’s lecturers at The University of Oxford have successfully sued the uni
Emma Watson studies on Oxford’s creative writing course
So, people are rinsing Oxford students for dancing at a ball and it’s low-key really mean
A Ceilidh is a huge part of Scottish culture
Oxford University Vice-Chancellor with £232k salary says grads should be donating to their uni
Was my £9k a year not enough!
Two of Emma Watson’s lecturers at Oxford are suing the university for unfair dismissal
The lecturers also compared their situation to the Post Office scandal
Oxford uni called ‘patronising’ for job advice despite banning its students from working
Oxford’s policy on part-time jobs reads: ‘Term-time employment is not permitted except under exceptional circumstances’
Students from two Oxford colleges are throwing Saltburn themed parties this term
One of them is Felix and Oliver’s actual college from the film
Students at University of Oxford housed in four-star hotels due to a lack of accommodation
One of the hotels costs up to £150 a night and has an indoor pool and spa
Heidi Wilson
These are the best subjects to do at each uni, according to the Daily Mail
Claudia CoxCheck out which uni you should’ve applied to, and regret all your life choices!
Skai Jackson ‘relieved’ she won’t face charges following domestic battery arrest
Leah Napier-RaikesThe Disney star was taken into custody after a dispute with her boyfriend at Universal Studios
Who is Sammie the stylist from Selling Sunset, and what really went down with Chrishell?
Sofia AiraChrishell claimed that he called her a ‘fake lesbian’ amongst other insults
The Boys’ Valorie Curry calls out Comic-Con fans whose behaviour made her uncomfortable
Harrison BrocklehurstShe says they demanded her to recreate some extreme Firecracker scenes from the show
Revealed: Selling Sunset agent Alanna’s huge net worth with her mega rich husband
Hayley SoenHer businessman husband owns a members’ club
A full timeline of how Nikocado Avocado managed to fool us all with his secret weight loss
Ellie RingI’m genuinely still in shock
The Guardian’s new UK uni ranking is here – and these Russell Group unis are really far down
Babe, wake up, a new uni ranking just dropped
Explaining why Netflix’s The Perfect Couple changed the killer ending from the book
The entire final reveal is completely different
Selling Sunset cast member Amanda Lynn apologises for ‘racist’ tweets as ‘lapse of judgement’
‘The tweets in question, made over a decade ago, were a brief lapse in judgment’
So, what did Jeff Lazkani actually do and where do he and Selling Sunset’s Chelsea stand now?
A lot has come out since the show was filmed
Tom from Love Is Blind UK wrote an entire article doubling down on comments about women
‘I stand by my belief that women should pay their way’
Taylor Swift still acted pally with Brittany Mahomes despite backlash to her supporting Trump
Even Swifties are turning their backs on her
There are the cheapest student halls at UK unis, and some are way nicer than you’d think
You can legit get a room for £85 a week
Chelsea admits she actually asked production to set up the scene with Bre on Selling Sunset
She had already heard all about the cheating rumours before Bre told her
People have cracked who Hera called at the end of Netflix’s Kaos and I’m terrified
As if this rollercoaster of a show could get any more dramatic
Chrishell ‘painfully’ reveals whether she’s still friends with Bre following Selling Sunset
‘I’m really disappointed in the whole situation’
It doesn’t look like we’re getting a Selling Sunset season eight reunion and I’m heartbroken
I don’t want one, I need one
