Eton Apologises To First Black Student – Nigerian Writer, Dillibe Onyeama

The headmaster of Eton College has told the BBC he is “appalled” by the racism experienced by the first black person to complete his studies at the prestigious British public school.

Nigerian writer Dillibe Onyeama obtained his school-leaving certificate from Eton in 1969.

He wrote a book about the racism he experienced at the school and was subsequently banned from visiting.

Head Master Simon Henderson said “we have made significant strides since”.

But he acknowledged that there was “more to do”.

Eton has a reputation for educating some of the highest ranking members of British society, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is the 20th British prime minister to have attended the school, as did Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and both the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex.

“We have made significant strides since Onyeama was at Eton but – as millions of people around the world rightly raise their voices in protest against racial discrimination and inequality – we have to have the institutional and personal humility to acknowledge that we still have more to do,” Mr Henderson told the BBC.

The headmaster said that he would invite Onyeama to meet him in order to apologise in person and “to make it clear that he will always be welcome at Eton”.

“We must all speak out and commit to doing better – permanently – and I am determined that we seize this moment as a catalyst for real and sustained change for the better,” he added.