AJ Tracey is putting his resources into addressing “historic underrepresentation” among Black students at Oxford University.
The West Londoner is donating £40,000 annually ($45K approx.) to assist ethnic minority students at the world-class university. The AJ Tracey Fund also aims to support research into Black histories and experiences.
He took to social media last week (Oc. 18), sharing a series of images from a dinner he hosted at St Peter’s College.
“A big thank you to @UniofOxford & @SPC_Oxford for allowing me to hold a dinner and meet some of the brightest young people last night,” AJ Tracey Penned in the caption. It was an honour to speak at the union and I look forward to our continued work and partnership going forward 📚🧠
a big thank you to @UniofOxford & @SPC_Oxford for allowing me to hold a dinner and meet some of the brightest young people last night. It was an honour to speak at the union and I look forward to our continued work and partnership going forward 📚🧠 pic.twitter.com/SmtA4V8BAK
— aj (@ajtracey) October 18, 2022
The “Thiago Silva” rapper said he’s working to “level the playing field” for Black Oxford students.
“I think, in general, 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,” AJ Tracey told The Guardian. “The whole country is catered towards white people and we’re just trying to level the playing field by helping Black kids.”
AJ Tracey also addressed the backlash fellow U.K. rapper Stormzy received when he announced a scholarship for Black students at Cambridge. Some online branded the “Mel Made Me Do It” hitmaker racist and “anti-white” for the move.
“It’s crazy,” AJ Tracey said in response. “At the end of the day, a large portion of the population is always going to have a very uneducated and misguided view on these kinds of happenings. Even if I were to say, ‘Yeah, I want to help every student, not just Black or ethnic students’, they’ll just say it’s a PR stunt.”