I hope you and everyone you care for are staying strong and safe. As we all navigate our new normals during this COVID-19 pandemic, I want you to know that the Board of Directors is thinking of you, and we and staff are working hard to move the organization forward.

This guide is meant to be a starting point of resources from around the internet on ways we can balance the demands of our jobs with the uncertainty of a pandemic. It includes links on working from home, where to find mental health resources, managing children, ways to relax your mind and body, and places to seek financial assistance.

Today, Journalism & Women Symposium joins National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) and a core coalition of over 40 local and national media and nonprofit partners in a joint bilingual campaign to recognize the #PRESSential workers, and #ThankAJourno for their efforts on the frontlines of COVID-19.

The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and Journalism & Women Symposium (JAWS) stand firmly against President Trump’s unacceptable treatment of PBS Newshour’s White House Correspondent Yamiche Alcindor.

We at Journalism & Women Symposium join AAJA, NABJ, NAHJ, NLGJA and NAJA in denouncing the escalating violence and rhetoric aimed at Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, including journalists, amid the coronavirus outbreak.

As concerns about the coronavirus (Covid-19) mount, we at Journalism & Women Symposium want you to know that we are taking steps to protect your safety while still offering you the benefits of membership.

The new JAWS @womenjournos Q+A will feature women who are leading in journalism, today, fielding questions from our members. To celebrate Women's History Month and the relaunch of our website, who better to celebrate boss moves than Emily Ramshaw, co-founder and CEO of The 19th*?

#EachforEqual. That’s the theme and hashtag for this year’s International Women’s Day, March 8, a global day for celebrating women’s achievements and advocating for gender equality. “Individually, we’re all responsible for our own thoughts and actions -- all day, every day,” the IWD 2020 campaign says.

The JAWS board and staff have listened to your suggestions, and have structured committees and task forces that will put your skills and ideas to work  — whether that’s designing new digital programming, participating in diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, working on a sustainable communication strategy, supporting regional get-togethers and more.

Trailblazing journalist and author Dorothy Butler Gilliam had a memorable and tweetable quote during the Fran Lewine Memorial Interview at this year’s CAMP in Williamsburg, Va.: “Let your phone be smart, you be wise.” As I begin my term as president of JAWS, I’m seeking to draw on wisdom — mine and yours, too — as I give careful thought to the work ahead and where we can go as a unified force.

Today we announce a new jaws.org. This site is redesigned with you in mind. We want to create a place of belonging for women in journalism. A haven – and a hub for information. You’ll immediately notice warmer colors, more photos, better navigation and a cleaner design for an inviting user experience.

The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA), the Journalism and Women Symposium (JAWS) and the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) met with ViacomCBS Executive Vice President, Global Head of Inclusion Marva Smalls on February 13, 2020.

Traveling by plane, trains and automobiles to conferences across the country can be exhausting. I know. As I write this column, I am in the midst of my second conference in Austin, Texas. And while I am tired, I’m also exhilarated.

I’m excited Williamsburg is the site of this year’s CAMP. Having grown up a few miles away in Newport News, I can’t count the number of times Williamsburg figured into both my leisure and learning. It’s still a place I miss and I try and visit whenever I’m in the area. What’s important to understand is that the truth of the settlement is still being uncovered.

The CAMP Committee is hard at work making CAMP 2019 an active and reflective weekend where women journalists can gather to make connections, gain skills and spark new projects. Cited by The New York Times as one of the 52 Places to Go in 2019, Williamsburg provides the opportune backdrop for this year’s conference theme: “Facing Our Past, Defining Our Future.”

Journalism and Women Symposium is proud to announce the keynote speakers for its 2019 Conference and Mentoring Project (CAMP), which will be held in Williamsburg, Virginia, from Sept. 20-22. The line-up includes groundbreaking women in journalism whose lives and work embody the theme of CAMP, “Facing Our Past, Defining Our Future.”

The Journalism & Women Symposium is grateful to Yumi Wilson for her service as president of the Board of Directors during a challenging year and a half of growth and change. Under JAWS bylaws, Vice President Lindsey Anderson will become interim president, continuing to work closely with President-Elect Mira Lowe, who will begin her two-year term as president at the annual conference in September.

More than three years ago, I was asked by the Journalism & Women Symposium (JAWS) leadership to run for president-elect. And I’m not going to lie – I was nervous. I was nervous because I wasn’t sure I was up for the task. After all, JAWS has 600+ members who are strong, outspoken and very accomplished. I worried that I didn’t have the chops to be their leader.

Are you a woman journalist looking for support, skills training and the next step in your career? Journalism & Women Symposium (JAWS) welcomes you to apply to our fellowship program. We bring fellows to our Conference and Mentoring Project (CAMP) each year for three days of training, networking and professional development.

The Journalism & Women Symposium Board of Directors is anguished to learn of the recent layoffs of nearly 1,000 media professionals across the globe, including at Gannett publications, BuzzFeed and Verizon-owned sites. These journalists played critical roles in our democracy, speaking truth to power and informing citizens, and our world is a little worse off without them.