Jazz Lecturer Cancelled for Criticising BLM Was “Not Racist”, Employer Admits
A jazz lecturer whose lessons were boycotted after he questioned critical race theory and criticised BLM, forcing him to resign and “destroying” his life, is not a racist, a leading conservatoire has admitted. The Telegraph has the story.
Martin Speake, 67, said his life was “destroyed” after students at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in Greenwich, south-east London, avoided his lessons because of his views.
The internationally renowned saxophonist was ‘cancelled’ for claiming there was no “systemic” racial inequality in British jazz and that critical race theory was “very dangerous”.
Speake was due to bring the conservatoire to an employment tribunal later this year for constructive dismissal, discrimination and harassment.
However, the two sides have now reached a settlement, with Trinity Laban admitting that Speake was not racist.
In a statement, the conservatoire said “similar beliefs” to Speake’s “have been found to be protected in a previous employment tribunal case”.
The conservatoire said that it accepted that the beliefs Speake expressed had “no racist intent” and he considered himself, “and has done for all of his life, an anti-racist”.
It continued: “Trinity Laban does not dispute either of those matters. It also acknowledges that discrimination against staff and students because they hold or appropriately manifest protected philosophical beliefs is unlawful.”
Speake had taught at Trinity Laban for 24 years when he responded to an email requesting feedback on a “diversity action plan” in February 2024.
In his 1,170-word response, he said black musicians were “definitely not under-represented” in British jazz and that the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement was “very dangerous”.
In the response, he also cited Martin Luther King Jr’s famous call to “judge people according to the content of their character, not the colour of their skin”.
Students subsequently boycotted his lessons and he resigned in November 2024.
The statement added: “Trinity Laban acknowledges the hurt felt by Speake, and that he has reported significant damage to his personal and professional life, and wishes him well for the future. Trinity Laban condemns public attempts to unfairly vilify him.”
Speake told the Telegraph his experience was “devastating” and that he was “glad this stage of my life is over”.
He said: “Having been arrested protesting against racism as a teenager, and having been anti-racist my whole life, it is a bizarre world we live in that I can be accused of racism for questioning BLM and critical race theory. I will continue to judge people by the content of their character rather than the colour of their skin.
“The last two years – which felt like a lifetime – have been a horrendous journey that cannot be undone and has had, and will continue to have, devastating effects on my life, as I lost everything I loved. Apart from the ability to create music, which cannot be taken away.”
The Free Speech Union supported Speake in his claim and Toby says he is “delighted by this outcome, which represents complete vindication” for the saxophonist.
It shouldn’t need saying, but quoting Martin Luther King’s famous dictum about judging people by the content of their character rather than the colour of their skin does not make you a racist.
The fact that such a dedicated scholar, who’s devoted his life to studying, teaching and performing jazz, was cancelled for espousing a core tenet of the American civil rights movement shows just how far critical race theory has embedded itself in British universities. This is anti-racism gone mad.
Worth reading in full.
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”I will continue to judge people by the content of their character rather than the colour of their skin.”
Bless him. A man after my own heart. Racists are undoubtedly scum of the earth, but Mr Speake definitely doesn’t qualify. Let’s consult a dictionary definition just to double check;
”a person who believes that some races are better than others, or who acts unfairly to someone because of his or her race.”
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/racist
That’ll be a hard ‘no’. Besides, everyone knows BLM are a movement based on Marxist ideology and therefore should be criticized to the max because these people are a menace to society.
With respect, racism is the natural way of things. It is inbuilt into us at a very low level to distrust people who are not like us. We gravitate towards people we meet with similar outlooks to ourselves, and that is a bigger measure of if we accept them as ‘my tribe’ than skin colour. It is a fallacy and a fantasy that these feelings can, and should be ‘educated’ out of us.
“…racism is the natural way of things. It is inbuilt into us at a very low level to distrust people who are not like us.”
Try speaking for yourself and not presuming to speak on behalf of others as a way of legitimising your prejudice.
As somebody who was brought up in an area of very mixed ethnicities, who had friends in childhood and beyond who weren’t white, I can assure you I had no trust issues with people just because they didn’t look like me. There’s nothing “natural” about othering people based on their personal levels of melanin, at least not for me.
Well, Trinity Laban certainly had his back. Unfortunately, they used it as target practice and shame on them. Next time expel the trouble makers. Well done the FSU and move on with your life and music Mr Speake without wasting another brain cell on this witch hunt.
But there will be no adverse consequences for the management and senior staff at the University nor for the stupid students who hounded this valuable musician and teacher from his job.
All of them should be ashamed but in the case of the management and senior staff at least they are looking forward to their next pay rise and pensions.
I guess it’s a blow when you discover that your employer and a lot of your customers are a bunch of see you next Tuesdays.
Easy for me to say but he is better off keeping away from low-grade scum like that.
I hope he finds an outlet for his talents that puts food on the table – I am always amazed at how talented jazzers are and how hard it is to make a living from jazz. I get the impression that jazz in the early days had a much large following among black people than it does today – think it has been replaced by funk, soul, reggae, hip-hop, so it seems like it’s more a white thing these days, this might be reflected in the people that practice it. But I am not sure of this, others may know more.
I’ve always thought of jazz as black music listened to by white people.
The word ‘racism’, indeed the whole concept of ‘race’ doesn’t mean anything anymore.
The juice from the lemon of ‘anti-racism’, has been squeezed. It means ‘people intolerant of anyone’s views but their own narrow, moralistic interpretation’. Another dose of ‘Shut up. I don’t want to hear from you’.
All that’s left are the pips. They’d squeeze them too if they could.
“I’ve always thought of jazz as black music listened to by white people.”
Seems to be now anyway, like blues. Perhaps a long time ago it was different.
The word “racism” is useless unless the user explains what they mean by it. Mogwai quotes above from a dictionary:
”a person who believes that some races are better than others, or who acts unfairly to someone because of his or her race.”
I would agree with the second part of the sentence. As to the first, I would say that makes a LOT of people “racist” depending on what you mean by “better”. Various races and cultures (I believe they are linked closely, some don’t) have produced vastly different outcomes at a societal level, outcomes that many people feel are “better” or “worse” than others to the point where they vote with their feet. Does that mean they think they are “better people” just because of race? In some cases they may, most don’t. So even the dictionary definition seems a bit vague to me.
“The statement added: “Trinity Laban acknowledges the hurt felt by Speake, and that he has reported significant damage to his personal and professional life, and wishes him well for the future. Trinity Laban condemns public attempts to unfairly vilify him.”
Wishes him well??!!!! Not good enough. They did not stop the student struggle sessions and so aided and abetted. They can do their damndest to teach those students how vile they were and they can also do their damndest to get in touch with all the spineless concert venues and get him some gigs at Martin’s convenience.
Another win for the Free Speech Union. I hope Mr Speake can now move on from this disgraceful episode.
Strange how the death of a drug-addled career criminal sparked such faux outrage around the World with the Burglary Looting Murder movement that is unravelling as the court cases for theft of donations and personal enrichment have unfolded – to no great surprise – in the US.