President's Letter

From JAWS President Dawn Garcia

July 2008

A Toast From the President

Some women I know can’t wait for their “O” magazine from Oprah Winfrey to arrive in their mailbox. That wasn’t me. I have to admit that I’ve never read her magazine or watched her TV show — and she’s certainly never given me a free car. But on a Sunday morning this June, I found myself hanging on Oprah’s every word — and thinking of all of the great women in JAWS.

Oprah was the commencement speaker at Stanford University’s graduation, where I was receiving a master of liberal arts degree. I’d studied part time for five years while working my day job — helping run the Knight Fellowships for Professional Journalists — and it was a glorious day of celebration with family and friends. Being a journalist, I wrote my master’s thesis on a journalism topic: the evolution of Spanish-language media in California.

What made me think of all of the great women in JAWS that morning as I sat on a white plastic folding chair in a sea of black caps and gowns in Stanford’s stadium? A few simple but memorable lines that Oprah gave the graduates jumped out at me:

“Don’t live for yourself alone. This is what I know for sure: In order to be truly happy ... you have to stand for something larger than yourself. Because life is a reciprocal exchange. To move forward you have to give back.” (The whole speech is online here.)

All of you who give to JAWS — the savvy and creative souls on the JAWS board; those who keep the JAWS Web site fresh and fun; others who work for months to create a bang-up annual conference; you who write, edit and publish the JAWS newsletter; those who find dynamite scholarship winners each year; all of you who mentor another JAWS member; our devoted and talented business manager — you are sharing your time and energy for something larger than yourselves. You are working toward our mission — the professional empowerment and personal growth of women in journalism. Journalism, as we are all well aware, is in a time of chaos and opportunity, and JAWS needs you more than ever.

As I received my diploma, I raised a toast to you! Thank you and keep up the good work.

(And if you would like be a part of that great group of women who help JAWS be strong, please nominate yourself or someone you know who would be terrific for the JAWS board. Just e-mail president@jaws.org. The JAWS nominating committee will be meeting this summer. Details about JAWS board eligibility in this newsletter and on the JAWS website at http://www.jaws.org/board/

Time to register for the 2008 JAWS conference!

Have you registered for Camp?

The next annual JAWS conference (a.k.a. Camp) is Sept. 5 to 7 at the Attitash Grand Summit Hotel in Bartlett, N.H. It’s a beautiful location in the White Mountains and the program is shaping up to have something for everyone: Cartoonist and writer Nicole Hollander and poet Charreah Jackson! Morning yoga! Panels on international coverage, work/life balance, multimedia training, the 2008 elections, science and environment and more!

Visit our Web page for easy links to a registration form (you can now pay online with ease via PayPal), a link to the hotel site and travel tips from Betsy Wade, “The Practical Traveler” emerita.

After years of meeting almost exclusively in Western locations, the JAWS board followed the wishes of the membership and has selected fall Camp locations in other regions of the United States. The idea is to rotate Camp locations to make travel distances more equitable.

JAWS 2007 was in the Midwest (Door County, Wis.). After 2008 in the East, we will return to the West for the 25th anniversary of JAWS Oct. 2 to 4, 2009, at Snowbird Resort not far from the Salt Lake City, Utah, airport. In our continuing efforts to keep costs down, we’ve negotiated rooms starting at $104.

JAWS around the U.S.

JAWS members around the country are taking us up on our offer to help them host regional events in their cities — and we urge you to do the same. In 2008, members held regional gatherings in New Mexico and Washington, D.C. There will also be an event in Chicago in conjunction with the UNITY 2008 conference, a gathering of thousands of journalists of color held every four years.

If you are interested in hosting a regional JAWS event, we can provide funding from our Challenge Fund for Journalism grant to help pay for your event. We can cover costs such as food and fliers to advertise the event. We’ll also send you a “JAWS Party in a Pack” that includes brochures, stickers and membership forms with a discounted membership price for those who join at your event.

Looking forward to seeing you at JAWS regional events this summer and in New Hampshire for our fall conference in September!