{"id":6428,"date":"2026-08-18T09:22:56","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T13:22:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/2026\/08\/18\/write-of-passage-young-black-and-digitally-lynched\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T09:22:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T13:22:56","slug":"write-of-passage-young-black-and-digitally-lynched","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/2026\/08\/18\/write-of-passage-young-black-and-digitally-lynched\/","title":{"rendered":"Write of Passage: Young, Black, and Digitally Lynched"},"content":{"rendered":"<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-6428-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/api.substack.com\/feed\/podcast\/211659886\/ffa4c55996ad6c632d1ac9b59306fb9f.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/api.substack.com\/feed\/podcast\/211659886\/ffa4c55996ad6c632d1ac9b59306fb9f.mp3\">https:\/\/api.substack.com\/feed\/podcast\/211659886\/ffa4c55996ad6c632d1ac9b59306fb9f.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p><strong>I\u2019ve done it.<\/strong><\/p><div id=\"vanes-344811575\" class=\"vanes-content vanes-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 2px;margin-right: 2px;margin-bottom: 2px;margin-left: 2px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/fireswordandsea.htm\" aria-label=\"Fire Sword &amp; Sea\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?fit=1706%2C2560&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Fire Sword &amp; Sea\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?w=1706&ssl=1 1706w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C300&ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?resize=683%2C1024&ssl=1 683w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C1152&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C1536&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?resize=1365%2C2048&ssl=1 1365w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?w=1280&ssl=1 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" width=\"569\" height=\"853\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p><strong>Last week, I told you I was on deadline, and now I am free. That is right\u2014I have finished my 32nd book.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>I turned it in to my publisher. It will be my next historical fiction, coming in at 105,000 words, and I am so excited.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>I did something I\u2019ve never done before. Multiple POVs. Caribbean history blended with American history. I have cars and horse-drawn carriages. Letters written and sealed under wax. Candlelight and electric lights.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>I can\u2019t give you much more detail yet, but it is my brand\u2014a powerful saga, women-centric, with women doing things we need to know about, finding rooms they weren\u2019t supposed to be in and pushing forward questions we all should be asking and answering.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>So I should be coming out of deadline talking about nothing but joy.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>But at the same time, one of the most disconcerting things has been happening.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>There is always nonsense going on in the book sphere, the academic sphere, and the tech sphere\u2014the three worlds I pay a lot of attention to.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>And this past week, it was academia.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>There was a young Black professor at Cambridge named Jason Arday. He was not a perfect person. None of us are. But he suddenly became the center of accusations of plagiarism and an enormous public storm.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>In a matter of days, it became a nightmare in the press.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>An investigation by <strong>NewsCord<\/strong>, which I will link her, counted every substantive and distinct article about Jason Arday from July 24 through August 14, 2026. Their count was:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>* <strong>249 articles in 22 days<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>* <strong>188 articles in the final nine days<\/strong>\u2014from his August 5 resignation through August 14<\/p>\n<p>* That\u2019s an average of <strong>20.9 articles per day<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Article after article. Imagine the tons of social-media impressions fueled by this much press. People attacked him, defending him, picked him apart. 9 days, his final 9 day, 188 articles.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>That looks like a digital lynching.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>It must feel like that.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>And it proves something I\u2019ve talked about: when somebody has a grievance, when somebody needs a scapegoat, why so often a Black neck, a POC neck, or a woman\u2019s neck becomes a doormat to step on.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Today, I don\u2019t want to use my words to talk about what happened to Jason Arday.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>I want you to hear his family\u2019s words.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>While the rest of the world was debating a professor\u2019s humanity, they watched someone they loved go through this storm.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Now they are grieving him.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This has been an incredibly painful time for our family, and we are still coming to terms with the tragic loss of our beloved Jason. What has become clear over the past 72 hours is the profound impact he had on people.<\/p>\n<p>We are grateful to all who have created light in this dark time through kindness, generosity and solidarity. Your presence here to remember him this evening means a lot to us, and while we cannot be there in person, please know that we stand with you in spirit.<\/p>\n<p>The public cruelty Jason was subjected to was too much for any man to bear. The outpouring of love, support and grief since his death means so much to us, although it is bittersweet. Kindness is needed in life, not just in death. We\u2019ll never know what might have been different had he experienced more of it while he was still here.<\/p>\n<p>What we do know is how deeply he was loved, and we wish to especially thank those who knew Jason in life and tried to get through to him, who supported him in his darkest hour, and who saw the person in the middle of this awful storm.<\/p>\n<p>If you would like to share a message of condolence, memory, or support with Jason Arday\u2019s family, please do so using this contact:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"mailto:TheArdayFamily@gmail.com\">TheArdayFamily@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>No book recs today. I want to publicize a legitimate Go Fund Me for his family.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/gofund.me\/ce60c7ec0\">https:\/\/gofund.me\/ce60c7ec0<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>And if you are struggling with your mental health:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>In the United States:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Call or text 988, the Suicide &amp; Crisis Lifeline. It is available 24 hours a day.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>In the United Kingdom and Ireland:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Call Samaritans at 116 123, free, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>In England:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>For urgent mental-health help, call NHS 111 and select the mental-health option.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>If someone\u2019s life is in immediate danger, call emergency services\u2014911 in the United States or 999 in the United Kingdom.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>If you are worried about somebody, ask about them. Help them connect with professional support.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Kindness is needed in life, not just in death.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Let\u2019s be better and have a better week.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>* <strong>Support your local <\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/fireswordandsea.htm\"><strong>bookstores<\/strong><\/a><strong>, especially your indies.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>You can find my notes on Substack or on my website, <\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vanessariley.com\/\"><strong>VanessaRiley.com<\/strong><\/a><strong>, under the podcast link in the About tab.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Hey. Let\u2019s keep building together. I need you. That is the truth. Like, share, subscribe, and stay connected to <\/strong><strong><em>Write of Passage<\/em><\/strong><strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Thank you for being here.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>I want you to come again. This is Vanessa Riley.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This is a public episode. If you&#8217;d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/vanessariley.substack.com\/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=CTA_2\">vanessariley.substack.com\/subscribe<\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"vanes-3168755264\" class=\"vanes-after-content vanes-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 3px;margin-right: 3px;margin-bottom: 3px;margin-left: 3px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubstackAd.png?fit=1080%2C1350&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Listen to the Write of Passage Weekly Podcast\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubstackAd.png?w=1080&ssl=1 1080w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubstackAd.png?resize=240%2C300&ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubstackAd.png?resize=819%2C1024&ssl=1 819w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubstackAd.png?resize=768%2C960&ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" width=\"540\" height=\"675\"   \/><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I\u2019ve done it. Last week, I told you I was on deadline, and now I am free. That is right\u2014I have finished my 32nd book. I turned it in to my publisher. It will be my next historical fiction, coming in at 105,000 words, and I am so excited. I did something I\u2019ve never done [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6429,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[81,793,9,620,756,694],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personal-stories","category-politics","category-recommended-reading","category-syndication","category-technology","category-tv-and-film"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO 5.0.0.1 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I\u2019ve done it. 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