The lecture series is named in memory of Gloria Carpenter (Girton 1945), the first Black woman on record to matriculate and graduate from Cambridge. These annual lectures aim to designate additional time, attention and space to the gap in Black scholarship. Topics have been as varied as the evolution of inequality in academia, and good intentions relating to slavery, abolition, and inequality in the modern world.

The seed funding similarly aims to challenge discrimination, increase the representation of under-represented groups, and raise awareness of issues related to diversity, equality, and inclusion.  

Students have used funding to publish a research magazine, aptly named ‘Scholarship,’ for the creative production of narrative histories and the democratisation of access to academic research. Meanwhile, the ‘Health for All’ initiative in the School of Clinical Medicine, a collaboration between staff and students, has integrated the Fund’s mission to promote race equality into the medical school’s teaching.   

Five years on, the impact of Martin’s legacy is clear: it has contributed to four essay competitions, five lectures, and several projects for students to share their insights into historical and contemporary experiences of race across Collegiate Cambridge.  

A close friend of Martin’s attests that he was devoted to his career as an educator. His commitment to learning saw him continue to interact remotely with students until his death, tutoring in mathematics, physics, and nuclear physics. “He passionately believed in the academic development of students from every persuasion of race, faith, and culture. This makes the Alexander Crummell Fund so very relevant to Martin’s personal thinking.”