September 2015: Speak up

From meeting you in person and reading posts from so many more on the listserv, I know that this is not a group of women shy about speaking up.

We recently sent out a general membership survey. This is the first one in over two years, and we need to hear from you. The survey gives you an opportunity to share what you want from JAWS, and it also seeks to gather information about our membership that will help the new board serve you better and evaluate how well we are working to fulfill our mission.

As we prepare to celebrate our 30th anniversary at CAMP, I’d like to propose a toast to each of you amazing women for choosing to join JAWS. Your membership reflects a commitment to the mission of supporting the professional empowerment and personal growth of women in journalism and working toward a more accurate portrayal of the whole society. It’s a good time to pause and reflect on why 30 years ago a group of wise women started Journalism and Women Symposium. What has changed since then – and what hasn’t changed? What are the ongoing challenges of  women journalists? And what can JAWS do to help? These are questions you’ll be hearing more about before CAMP and in Montana where Nancy Day has organized a [email protected] panel moderated by Dawn Garcia with Margie Freivogel, Yumi Wilson and Angela Greiling Keane.

As I get ready to pass the shark tiara to Sandra Fish next month, I feel good about what we have accomplished this past year and our strength as an organization. With your responses to the membership survey and your participation in [email protected], you can help assure that JAWS is ready for the next 30 years.

Linda