Lionel Morrison, the first black president of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), passed away on October 31st. The activist was cited for his work in the cause of black people becoming more involved in the media. To help in this cause he assisted in the establishment of things like the George Viner Memorial Fund which as a charity trust aids not only black journalism students, but also ones from other ethnic minorities. After having been arrested for treason in 1956 in South Africa (his birthplace) at the age of just 21 and imprisoned for five months in 'The Fort,' the struggles that Morrison has faced could be said to have encouraged his 'when things are wrong, you have got to do something about it' attitude. His work within journalism not just for black people, but the industry as a whole is something that's treasured today.
- He wrote to nearly 100 newspaper and magazine editors without success. Few agreed to see him, and he believed he was rejected because of the colour of his skin
Personally this article was quite enlightening to me since as a black man, I believe that the involvement of ethnic minorities within the media is imperative in allowing for press that's actually reflective of current society. The work of Lionel Morrison after what he had to deal with in South Africa is something that I treasure deeply and value it as something that people from ethnic minorities should take advantage of in trying to get into the journalism world.
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