I always say I sort of fell into journalism. But in reality, I’ve adored writing and storytelling for as long as I can remember, and I knew I was good at it, even though I was scared to admit that it was what I wanted to do with my life.
Growing up, when I thought of journalists, the first people who came to mind were stern news anchors in suits speaking the Queen’s English, or reporters like David Frost, who I learned about in school. Even fictitious journalists, like Rita Skeeter in Harry Potter, were slimy exaggerators. They weren’t Black girls from south London growing up in council housing. For someone like me, journalism never seemed like it could be a sustainable career.
In 2015 I joined gal-dem, a magazine that centres the voices of women and non-binary people of colour. We created the magazine because our voices are so often left out of the media. At the start we were young, passionate, and basically winging it. Now, gal-dem is a fully functioning, nationally recognised business, with a membership model – and I’m the lifestyle editor. From takeovers at the V&A and Guardian Weekend to hosting our own club nights, we have always done it because we love it. I never thought this could become my job.
I don’t put myself forward as a great stylist nor perfect linguistic manipulator. But that’s shite. You’re not good at the writing and storytelling love, sorry.
The Guardian’s published you for the same reason that Mummy of the short bus kid sticks the crayon drawing on the fridge.
Even fictitious journalists, like Rita Skeeter in Harry Potter, were slimy exaggerators. They weren’t Black girls from south London growing up in council housing.
Dare to dream of a Britain where any Black girl from a south London council estate can grow up to be a slimy exaggerator.
In my day we didn’t have affirmative action. We had pretty girls who slept with someone important. I haven’t looked but I expect times have changed somewhat. Or the people with importance have a lot less taste than they used to.
In 2015 I joined gal-dem, a magazine that centres the voices of women and non-binary people of colour. We created the magazine
She was right first time, she didn’t create the magazine.
“In 2015 I joined gal-dem, a magazine that centres the voices of women and non-binary people of colour. We created the magazine because our voices are so often left out of the media.”
“women AND non-binary people of colour” because those groups have so much in common.
I’d like to create a magazine for men and people who think they are penguins.
Assuming that the company is Gal-Dem Limited, they have either raised over £30m or the people completing their Companies House SH01 forms don’t know how to complete them properly.
Andrew C September 2, 2020 at 9:59 am – ““women AND non-binary people of colour” because those groups have so much in common.”
Well they could sit around and bitch about how awful men are. I think there may be huge areas of agreement there.
The world seems full of fag hags. Every girls seems to want a Gay Best Friend. I blame Sex and the City.
well at least she didn’t split any infinitives in that section.
Can’t be arsed to read the article itself.
When I was growing up the BBC newreaders were all actors.
“I’m a Black journalist in the UK. That simple fact still makes me unusual”
Well, yes dear. Being < 10 % of the population and choosing to do a job which is rare, will make you 'unusual'.
We can be thankful she has not gone into engineering.
She may well be a black journalist, she is not a Black one. I consider unwarranted capitalisation to be on a par with some of the stranger pronouns.
John I find your excessive use of punctuation in particular the full stops quite intimidating and so could you please desist thanks I’m having a hard enough time with all this COVID business the US rioting and Brexit
From their website
“Thank you to those of you who have pledged your support so far! Our current goal is to have 3,000 of our readers become gal-dem members. This will directly contribrute to our groundbreaking work.”
Skipping over “contribrute” which sounds like crowdfunding for mercenaries, they’re at something like 2,700 members, paying £5/month. Of that, the company they’re working with takes 10%, so around £12K/month. Take 20% off for VAT and you’re at less than £10K/month, and there’s 10 team members.
Maybe a nice sideline, but living in South London on say, £1K/month?
(there’s a reason so many journalists are honkies and it’s about it being more and more a domain for posh kids living off family money).
I quite review of gal-dem’s website reveals it is nothing if not unoriginal, pumping out the same sort of feminist/minority empowerment porn you can find at twenty other sites.
Ho-hum.
She may be Black, but she’s neither original nor interesting. And that – not the violence inherent in the system – is the real problem she faces.
She spelled ‘colour’ correctly, so I assume she is British, in which case she needs to learn that adjectives go before nouns, ‘people of’ is a geographical indicator, there is no such place called ‘colour’.
@ Andrew C
Well, they don’t know enough about Company Reports to name the Director so I am not surprised that they don’t know how to complete a SH01.
Isn’t the real money here fleecing the NGOs and various quangos not the membership fees.
If you are only writing about yourself you are not a journalist but an autobiographer. Or a gobshite. Anyhow, another Carmen makes it onto Tim’s blog. Fame, of a kind.
Yeah there’s certainly a market for this schtick.It actually sounds as if the narrative was actually commissioned, the person they got to do it irrelevant saving certain necessary demographic features.
@Andrew C
“In 2020 I joined gal-pik, a minorities magazine that centres the voices of Black & Brown women and Pikeys, then….”
Pop corn time
Ummmm September 2, 2020 at 3:53 pm – “Isn’t the real money here fleecing the NGOs and various quangos not the membership fees.”
There comes a point where skepticism becomes a conspiracy theory and then a point beyond that where it becomes decidedly unhealthy. But I wonder where on the spectrum it would be to speculate that they are fleecing George Soros?
@ SMSF
Too small for him: Gal-Dem is a vanity project started and funded until mid-2019 by Miss Olivia Little who periodically changes her mind as to whether or not she has a middle name and is still a student aged 26. So if she is a student where has she got the money to periodically lend thousands of pounds to her company?
‘The Guardian’s published you for the same reason that Mummy of the short bus kid sticks the crayon drawing on the fridge.’
Great line, Mr Worstall!
Yes, she was chosen because she’s a freak. She doesn’t get the joke. She thinks she is a journalist. LOL