I recently had the rare opportunity to attend a Claudia Jones memorial lecture that was held at Thomson Reuters and organised by the National Union of Journalist (NUJ) black member’s council. The first part of the evening consisted of a lecture from Professor Paul Gilroy on the theme The Value of Multiculturalism. I instantly engaged with the topic and the valid points that were mentioned throughout the talk.
When the lecture had finished, there was a short Q&A between the audience and Professor Gilroy, which was then followed by a networking session to end the evening. As I was the youngest person at the event I was, at first, a bit shy to take part in this session, but fortunately I overcame my nerves and spoke to quite a few people.
I spoke to the Ex NUJ President and a Fashion Freelance Journalist, who were both kind enough to give me some advice about Journalism and how I could develop my skills for the industry. After speaking with them I thanked them for their time and handed them my business card, which contained the URL to my blog and my email.
I was also lucky enough to hand my business card to Professor Gilroy, just as he was leaving the event – he said that he would be sure to have a look at my blog!
Shortly after that, I was approached by an Editorial Journalist who offered me the opportunity to take part in a project that he and his team were working on – which I gladly accepted and handed him my business card. This, I have to say, was the highlight of my evening!
I would like to give special thanks to Leila, from the organisation Urban Synergy, for providing me with this unique experience, it is greatly appreciated.
Blessed&Inspired
All things are possible!
