Black history is
Cambridge history

Tyra Amofah-Akardom, Rumbidzai Dube and Surer Mohamed reflect on the Black Cantabs Research Society − a counter-history project, designed to uncover and preserve the legacies of Black Cambridge alumni − and discuss what it means to be a Black student at Cambridge.

Tyra: I've always thought of the Black Cantabs* Research Society as a footprint. It's shown that the history of Black Cambridge students goes right back to the 1800’s. The idea that Black students have only come to Cambridge in recent years is a complete falsehood. The Society is a permanent reminder that Black people belong, and have always belonged, in this place.

Tyra: One of the reasons I wanted to get involved in the Society is that it doesn't just tell stories of suffering. Pain and trauma are entangled in Black folk’s history, particularly in the US and UK, but at the same time there are stories of resistance, empowerment, community and love. I think the Society does a beautiful job of highlighting these moments of celebration.

Surer: The Society uncovers and resurfaces the forgotten legacies of Black students, faculty members and alumni. It asks critical questions of the institution like why the histories of Black Cantabs were allowed to go into recession or be pushed to the back of the mind.

Surer: There’s a power in retelling the narratives of Black Cantabs. I think there’s radical potential in not having to interpret history in a certain way. But the fact that the retelling was needed in the first place demonstrates the scale of the problem.

Rumbidzai: The Society interrogates the University’s representation of itself. It pushes it to be more self-reflective and think about the ways it can positively transform in terms of the memorialisation of students who are Black, White, or any other race.

Rumbidzai: We want the outward representation of what Cambridge is to the world to be the inward reality for Black students. If Cambridge’s representation is that it is a progressive, diverse and inclusive space that should be the experience of Black students here too. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, and we want that to change.

Rumbidzai: We want the University to acknowledge in its words and actions that Black students' history is Cambridge's history. Presently the institutional memory is displayed in the form of statues, portraits and the names of lecture halls, libraries and scholarships. Some of these hyper-visible memorials are permanent, painful reminders of dark periods in Black history. Contrast this with the marked absence of positive Black history.

Surer: The Society creates community and advocates for contemporary Black students. We ask what transformations need to occur to make Black students, not just have access, but be integral, to Cambridge.

Rumbidzai: It’s designed to be a space for recollection, reflection and memorialisation. We want current Black students to connect with past histories of Blackness to generate a sense of belonging and inspiration.

Surer: As a Black student or Fellow at Cambridge you constantly encounter the same question, “am I the first?” This was the impetus behind Dr Njoki Wamai cofounding the Society. The Society builds an institutional memory and speaks against erasure. The nature of student life is transient, but the Society is constant.

Surer: I’m indebted to the Society for the deep and lasting friendships it brought that have outlived people’s time at Cambridge and expanded across geographical space. All Black Cantabs are extraordinary, but I'd like to highlight Dr Njoki Wamai. During her time here she built so much infrastructure that we’re all still benefiting from. She was also instrumental when I was applying for my PhD.

Tyra: A lot of the Black Cantabs who’ve personally inspired me are the ones that have held my hand through the Cambridge journey. Top of that list is Surer and Rumbie. I also think back to Chiedza Matsvai, who every time I saw her would just say, “how are you?” and it was a "how are you?" in terms of dealing with how heavy this institution can be as a Black student.

Rumbidzai: We want our student lives to be simpler. We wish we didn’t have to work twice as hard to prove our capabilities, or perform the labour of creating conditions for equal representation and treatment, or dig deep into the archives to know who we are and who walked the corridors before us.

Rumbidzai: We wish we didn’t need to teach others to treat us like human beings. But that’s the work our Society does. It is as much about knowing Black history as dignifying our presence in this space. We do that with clear evidence of Black intellect and achievement and a dedication to Black emancipation.

Rumbidzai: I had the privilege of participating in the making of Black history when Cambridge graduates Professors Kwame Appiah, Henry Louis Gates Jr and Wole Soyinka were awarded Honorary Degrees. I promise you nothing is as gratifying as meeting your heroes in real life and finding them just as inspirational and easy-going as you imagined them to be.

Rumbidzai: This year has also seen the inaugural annual Gloria Carpenter lecture and the George Bridgetower essay prize. The Society uncovered the histories of Gloria Carpenter – a prominent social reformer and the first female Black graduate – and George Bridgetower – a violinist and composer who played with Beethoven and was the first male Black graduate. It was gratifying to see how the work of the Society is beginning to transform institutional memory.

Surer: The highlight of my tenure as President was the Black Cantabs Exhibition. We never thought it would happen in a million years. It went from pictures literally on cardboard to beautifully framed photographs in the main gallery of the University Library. All credit, by the way, to the librarians. The initiative diffused through the whole institution as a lot of Colleges retained the portraits of their Black Cantabs and other Colleges started commissioning their own.

Tyra: It was such an empowering experience. I think it was also symbolic of the institution itself beginning to recognise the importance of these Black Cantabs.

Surer: The Society gave me a weird kind of confidence. There was a period when if I was walking down the street and I saw someone new I'd stop them and say, “have you heard about the Black Cantabs?” I was doing street sales! Now there's so many people that it's not quite practical to do that anymore, which is nice.

Tyra: The number of Black students in Cambridge is increasing and it’s been such a beautiful thing to watch how new students are navigating this space. They’re a lot more comfortable expressing their cultural identities. I always say to people who are thinking of applying, “you don’t need to change to fit the institution, the institution has to change to fit you.”

Surer: Yes, I've seen a lot of students almost entering the institution with no expectation of melding into it, that’s very special and unique. I think part of it is the numbers and part of it is a particular kind of posture and I like that. There is an expectation of belonging because no one ever questioned if you would belong. So that’s cool.

Surer: Change is a marathon not a sprint. There’s a lot of upcoming work, like the Black Advisory Hub that I think might make a difference in meaningful ways.

Tyra: There’s so much going on; there’s an energy and excitement. I hope this signals that we’re here to resist and we’re here to stay and we’re not going to stop. I’m interested to see the ways in which people will challenge the institution and how that will unfold in the next few years and beyond.

Tyra: For my part, I’d particularly like to look at those stories that are slightly more 'unconventional'. These demonstrate that Black students can be authentically themselves and do whatever they want to do. There is no blueprint. I also want to make sure that we are looking at people from across the Black diaspora and not just Black Brits.

Rumbidzai: In the last few years we’ve seen Colleges take up the challenge of researching and publishing their own Black history. Others have created scholarships or dedicated places to honour prominent Black alumni. We’ve seen Jesus College actively working with the Nigerian government to send back the Benin Bronzes.

Rumbidzai: Excitingly the Society’s been granted funding for a postdoctoral position to research Black history at Cambridge. The publication of the Legacies of Slavery report is another positive development.

Rumbidzai: Yet I remain concerned about the daily life experiences of Black students not following the patterns of the bigger structural changes. I still would be happier to know that Black students wouldn’t be routinely stopped and asked for ID by porters or feel obligated to be the poster child of diversity or be picked on to comment on every issue to do with Blackness.

Rumbidzai: As Black students we came here for one thing – to learn. We want the same outcomes as any other student: to thrive at Cambridge, to grow intellectually, to have vibrant social lives and to leave this place with excellent grades and knowledge of our subject area.

*Cantab is an abbreviation for Cambridge: used after someone's name and qualifications to show that they have a degree from Cambridge University.

Published 25 October 2022
With thanks to:

_{Tyra Amofah-Akardom
Rumbidzai Dube
Surer Mohamed}

_{Interview:
Charis Goodyear}

_{Photography:
Lloyd Mann
Nick Saffell}

_{The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License}