Nicola Menzie: Give voice to those who are not being heard
By bringing different voices into the debate on religious matters, Nicola Menzie wants to fight stereotypes. And she has the credentials to talk about that: Nicola is a Christian journalist, a reggae and tofu lover, a Jamaican who grew to be an authentic New Yorker, and a student that juggles entrepreneurial journalism at CUNY while pursuing a master’s degree in theology. Her new venture, hopefully, will reinforce the truth that not all religious people think the same way about everything, and that there is more to be told than the dominant male/white opinions that get space in the media most of the time.
“There are so many other voices that are not being heard. Not every Christian person is anti-gay, anti-Muslim, for example”, she says. As a reporter writing for The Christian Post over the last years, she felt that in the media debate on such important matters, the most extreme and conservative opinions are getting most of the space. Women and minorities, as well as liberal Christians, should be more frequent in her Faithfully Magazine, a fun, bold and inclusive platform she will be developing for the next months.
Her goal is, with a more balanced range of opinions, to reduce the extremism and the misinterpretation reflected on ultraconservative readers comments on topics such as refugees and Muslims.
Raised by religious parents, Nicola says she developed her personal faith about 10 years ago, and that have been, since then, an important part of her life. The program at CUNY has brought great new energy to her professional life, and she is really excited to work with her fellows from the #EJ16 for the next months.