School decision follows anti-racism protests across the UK over the death of George Floyd (Performance)
London:
The head of Britain’s Eton College said Tuesday that he will invite a former black student to apologize in person for the racism he experienced in the best paying school in the 1960s.
Simon Henderson has said he wants Dillibe Onyeama to feel welcome after being previously banned from visiting Eton for writing a book about the racist abuse he has faced.
“We have made significant progress since Mr. Onyeama was in Eton, but … we must have the institutional and personal humility to recognize that we still have a lot to do,” Henderson said in a statement.
“We all need to express ourselves and commit to doing better – all the time – and I am determined to seize this moment as a catalyst for real and lasting change for the better.
“I will invite Mr. Onyeama to meet to apologize to him in person, on behalf of the school, and to tell him that he will always be welcome in Eton.”
The school’s decision follows protests against racism across Britain, sparked by the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, during a police arrest in the United States.
The protests drew renewed attention to racism in Britain, as well as the toxic legacy of its colonial past, including calls to teach it in schools.
Nigerian writer Onyeama, who graduated from Eton in 1969, has written a book about his experiences at the exclusive private school for boys, near Windsor, west London.
The school has become synonymous with elitism and class division in Britain.
Annual fees cost more than £ 42,000 ($ 52,000, € 46,000) per year. The old boys include Prime Minister Boris Johnson and princes William and Harry.
Onyeama told the BBC that he had been taunted by his classmates on a daily basis and asked him questions like “why are you black?” and “how many maggots are there in your hair?”
When he struggled in academia or flourished in sport, students attributed him to his race, while when he excelled in exams, he was accused of cheating, said the broadcaster.
After detailing his experiences in a 1972 memoir, he received an official letter informing him that he was prohibited from visiting Eton.
Onyeama said that even if an apology is no longer necessary, it “forces to recognize that prejudice based on color or race dehumanizes its victims in a way that ordinary prejudice does not do”.
He added that his overall experience at Eton was “positive”.
Henderson said he was “dismayed” to learn of the racist abuses Onyeama faced, and his “top priority” was to make Eton an “inclusive, compassionate and supportive community for all”.
“Racism has no place in civilized society, then or now,” he added.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
