14 Black Male Cambridge Students Pose For This Photo To Share Important Message

A group of black male Cambridge students have posed outside the prestigious university in an attempt to inspire other black students to apply to top universities.

The image was posted on Cambridge ACS's Facebook page, along with their message: "In 2015, only 15 black, male undergraduates were accepted into Cambridge.

"However, it is important that despite their underrepresentation, we let young black people know that this is something that they can aspire to.

"Inspired by the viral image of young black men from Yale, the Cambridge ACS decided to capture just some of the black men who contribute to one of the world's most innovative intellectual spaces.

"Representation matters."

So far, it has 3.2k likes. Student Dami Adebayo from Robinson College added: "Young black men don't grow up thinking they'll make it here. They should."

According to the Cambridge Undergraduate Admissions Statistics, 38 out of the 3,449 students who were accepted into the university defined themselves as black, a proportion of just over 1 per cent. This doesn't include students who defined themselves as mixed race.

Folajimi Babasola, who appears in the photo and is studying engineering, explained that he wanted to change people's perceptions of the Cambridge stereotype.

"The aim of the picture was really to encourage more black students to apply here because many people get discouraged by a particular image or stereotype of a Cambridge student that they have in their mind, thinking that they won't fit in or be accepted," he told BBC.

Adebayo added: "Barack Obama is probably the first black role model I had who made it 'cool' to be 'book smart', and that was by the time I was 11, that's crazy."

He said that while he "knew he was capable", he wasn't sure whether Cambridge was the "right place".

"But with a mindset like that, these types of institutions will never be the right place for people like me. Every student from a diverse background who applies and gets in here is a step towards changing that."

Cambridge are members of the Race Equality Charter which aims to "improve the representation, progression and success of minority ethnic staff and students within higher education."

The students in the image are William Gore, Bez Adeosun, Peter Adefioye, Judah Aiyenuro, Joseph Adikwu, Dennis Mubaiwa, Dami Adebayo, Ife Adepegba , Donte Nembhard, Baba Bob-Soile, Daniel Oluboyede, Michael Samuelson-Beulah, Folajimi Babasola and Ade Omisore.

Obviously, Cambridge isn't the only educational institution that people should feel is accessible to them. All further education, political offices, the finance industry and so many other parts of our UK society need better representation.