As many of you are aware, 500 Women Scientists is currently in the process of transition. Due to funding challenges, we made the hard decision to let go of paid staff in February.  A series of leadership meetings this fall allowed us to connect and begin to think critically about 500WS’s future. From these meetings, we emerged with a renewed commitment to 500WS’s mission and to remain a crucial voice, demanding progress for women and underrepresented groups in science and society more broadly.

As we have been meeting as a group, it has become more and more apparent how important our organization is, and how much work we have left to do. In the US, states are instituting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) bans, limiting women’s reproductive rights, and dangerous threats to democracy are looming politically. Globally, our hearts are torn apart watching the violence of wars and conflicts unfold. Violence of any kind, and especially targeted at women and children, is anathema to our goals of elevating the progress and impacts of underrepresented groups in science and beyond. Clearly an organization like ours that supports women, science, and DEI efforts is (unfortunately) still as necessary as ever.

Thank you again for your continued support of 500 Women Scientists. Please stay tuned for future ways to get involved and help us envision our future as an organization.