Linda Jue on why she finally loves JAWS
Linda Jue
JAWS Board Member and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee Chair
I didn’t feel welcome at my first JAWS CAMP. Or my second or third. But I’m passionately invested in JAWS now – because we’re going to change our profession.
Of course I’m going to ask you to give. We have an ambitious – and urgent – goal of raising $30,000 from our members by year’s end. (Fortunately, we’re already nearly half the way there – but more on that later.)
But first let me explain how I got so excited about our work to make journalism better for all women – our journalists, our audiences, our country, and our world.
When I first came to JAWS, I had been leading innovative investigative and other reporting projects at new journalism nonprofits long before 501(c)(3)s were a glint in our profession’s eye. JAWS seemed like an old girls’ network for those nestled primarily in the larger, legacy media culture. That didn’t include me (and not because of race).
Then, after 2018, I was reluctantly drafted onto the board to build up JAWS’ diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, one of my primary areas of expertise. Board member E.J. Graff and president Mira Lowe persuaded me that JAWS was ready to transform into a bigger and more truly inclusive women’s journalism association.
In turn, I created a committee of advisors, many of whom have earned high professional esteem for their own work and insights on DEI in journalism. The DEI Committee served as my braintrust while I worked with the board to create a well-thought-out strategy to seamlessly embed DEI into JAWS’ restructuring as an association that serves the interests of all women journalists.
The board responded enthusiastically to our vision. Together, the board, staff – and you, JAWS members – are building an organization that can expand the JAWS embrace – while also advocating for all women in journalism.
I haven’t felt this kind of sisterhood for a long time.
In this role, I’ve found the kinship that so many told me about but I had missed. We’re preserving, growing, and extending all the warmth and mentoring and advice we’ve loved about JAWS to far more women. We are helping JAWS institutionalize its advocacy for women in journalism, becoming a full partner with other journalism affinity organizations. We’re infusing real DEI in everything we do – on race, of course, but also every axis we can find. We’re aiming to train all JAWS members in being a positive force in our profession and advocating as we can.
But we need your help. We need staffing, computer resources, accounting, website support, and so much more. We need CAMP and fellowships and webinars. We need each other.
No other organization represents and advocates for women in journalism. The younger, more diverse women who need and want JAWS have to adapt to an industry where the rug was pulled out from under them. Women are still disproportionately locked out of leadership posts. Our industry is still bedeviled by sexism, racism, pay inequity, and so much more. JAWS is acutely needed – right now.
Please join me in helping to build up JAWS. Please give – whether that’s $5 or $50 or $500, once or monthly or by asking friends to give in your name. We’re grateful to the dozens of women who’ve given $13,288 in our year-end campaign. That means we only have $16,712 to go!
Together, as JAWS, we can transform our workplaces and our profession. We can’t go to large funders unless we can show that our members are all in. Are you in?