Review Of Claudia Jones Memorial Lecture By NUJ’s Black Members Council
Image via NUJ (National Union Of Journalists)
On 8th November the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) Black Members' Council (BMC) held their annual event which commemorates the historically pioneering journalist Claudia Jones at the October Gallery in Central London. The venue itself promotes the Transvangarde (a term coined from combining trans-cultural avant-garde), exhibiting the works of artists from more than 65 different countries and is a space for poets, musicians and other creative and intellectual events; a very fitting space for the evening. Chaired by BMC’s Tony Adams, broadcaster and author Nels Abbey was the keynote speaker, whose personal experiences in corporate banking and media inspired his 2019 satirical self-help book ‘Think Like A White Man.’ Steeped in political humour, it received reviews and commentary from the infamous Benjamin Zephaniah and Reni Eddo Lodge, well known literary figures whose work has shifted conversations and boundaries in modern culture.
As a brief history for those unfamiliar with her accomplishments and journey, Trinidadian Claudia Jones moved to New York where she encountered many challenges and served prison time for violating the McCarran Act; being a non-US citizen who had joined the Communist Party. Post release, she was deported and given asylum in the UK in 1955, where she further grew her activist involvement as a leader of the Black Equal Rights movement in London's Notting Hill. She founded The West Indian Gazette which was one of the first Black newspapers in the UK and in 1959, one of the founders of Notting Hill Carnival. Though some aspects deemed controversial, her contribution to Black British society is undoubtedly solidified in history. The format of the evening echoed the sentiment of asking hard questions, challenging yet motivating conversations and emboldened inspiration.
Nels shared his own personal journey throughout his speech with attendees, weaving it into the importance of owning your story, identity and how acceptance is fleeting. Topics covered within the talk covered a wide but interconnected range; diversity drenched bigotry, how statistics can distort the story, illusions of change and power and concepts such as racism laundering. It was highlighted that with systems of oppression there is collaboration and the harm of structural adjustment programmes across Africa (in his direct experience Nigeria). The audience was thoroughly engaged and was apparent from the extended Q&A session- time escaped away with the depth of discussion. The curators made sure the space was intimate and inviting- the event ran smoothly and attendees were introduced to the team, with literature available about the NUJ in the social gathering area. Though there was some heavy content, the atmosphere was optimistic, uplifted and moments of laughter between points of relatability to familiar challenges and struggles. Understanding the increased demand for intellectual debate, Nels has curated a new live event series, Uppity: An Intellectual Playground for the Refined and the Boujee. In addition his new book, The Hip-Hop MBA: Lessons in Cut-Throat Capitalism From The Moguls of Rap, is out in 2024.
The event was a great opportunity to relax and network with colleagues, recollecting times where publications rarely reflected our community from print to online. Revolutionary acts and change-makers have paved the way for platforms such as BLK BRIT, which shares our experiences told in our own words, inspiring, exploring and documenting Black Britain.