Big Berks 2020 Virtual Conference
While we cannot be together at Johns Hopkins University, the spirit of the Big Berks 2020 persists. To nurture our remarkable community until we can gather together again, we are happy to share a small taste of the program. Join us when you can! Some events are happening live at the designated times. Others can be enjoyed at your convenience.
Visit the Virtual Conference >>>
Posted May 22, 2020
Big Berks 2020 Cancellation
Dear Berks Community,
Thank you for your patience as we weighed the difficult decision about the status of the Big Berks 2020 Conference. With great regret we must announce that the 2020 meeting of the Berkshire Conference of Women, Genders and Sexualities (the Big Berks,) scheduled for May 28-31, 2020, at Johns Hopkins University has been cancelled.
After extensive deliberations, the officers and trustees agreed that in light of the profound uncertainty and very real health risks related to COVID-19, and in light of our host university’s announcement about the suspension of sponsored events until further notice, it is not possible to meet as planned.
Cancellation comes with significant financial burdens that the Berks organization must absorb. We appreciate your support as the Berks weathers the hardship this imposes. If you are able, please consider donating all or part of yourregistration fee to help the Berks continue to provide programming and supportive offerings in the future.
We will accept applications for full or partial refunds until 15 April, 2020. Refunds include registration, meals, receptions, dormitory accommodations, and tours. All refund requests will be honored until 15 April after which time all fees will be converted into donations. We will send you a tax-deductible receipt by the close of 2020.
Please use this form to request a full or partial refund: https://forms.gle/dzwRVuDKjP6UwzZD6
Accommodations must also be cancelled. If you booked a dormitory room, please include a request for a refund of those charges by April 15, 2020. If you booked a hotel room through our conference blocks, please contact the hotel directly to cancel your reservation. The Berks *cannot* cancel hotel reservations for Berks participants; hotel policies will apply.
We ask for your patience as we process refunds. We will work as quickly possible to process those and to address any issues that arise.
Please stay tuned here for further news about the Big Berks 2020. We are busy exploring alternatives for bringing some parts of the meeting and its important and exciting content to you, as circumstances allow. We will share details as soon as they are available.
You have contributed so much to the planning of the Big Berks 2020. Please know how much we appreciate your scholarship, political engagement, and creativity. While we are deeply disappointed by this turn of events, we are confident that the Berks will continue to be the exciting, vital, and committed community that it has long been. Thank you for being an essential part of our collective future!
We hope that you, your loved ones, and communities remain safe and well in the weeks and months ahead.
In Solidarity,
Martha S. Jones, Co-president
Tiya Miles, Co-president
Jennie Brier, Vice President
Stephanie Richmond, Treasurer
Marisa Fuentes, Secretary
Cathleen Cahill, Program Co-Chair
Martha Few, Program Co-Chair
Nancy Robertson, Trustee
Elyssa Faison, Trustee
Deirdre Cooper-Owens, Trustee
Sandra Trudgen Dawson, Executive Administrator
Posted March 19, 2020
Big Berks 2020 Update – Covid-19
March 11, 2020
In light of the heightened awareness of the spread of COVID-19, the leadership of the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians is working to plan the next steps regarding the Big Berks meeting scheduled for May 28-31, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. We know that many of you are anxious to know our plans for the meeting. We also recognize that many of you are already subject to travel restrictions, for family, fiscal, and health reasons. We will update the status of the meeting as soon as possible, and certainly no later than March 27, 2020. We will notify our members and conference registrants and provide details about next steps.
We would like to share the work of the last year: a visionary, aspirational draft of the Big Berks 2020 conference program.
Big Berks 2020 Update – Covid-19
March 11, 2020
In light of the heightened awareness of the spread of COVID-19, the leadership of the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians is working to plan the next steps regarding the Big Berks meeting scheduled for May 28-31, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. We know that many of you are anxious to know our plans for the meeting. We also recognize that many of you are already subject to travel restrictions, for family, fiscal, and health reasons. We will update the status of the meeting as soon as possible, and certainly no later than March 27, 2020. We will notify our members and conference registrants and provide details about next steps.
As we deliberate, we would like to share the work of the last year: a visionary, aspirational draft of the Big Berks 2020 conference program.
We especially want to celebrate the breadth of thought, scholarship, creativity, and commitment that has gone into the development of this program. We want to recognize all of you who submitted proposals for the conference and the program and local arrangements committees’ hard work in configuring such a vibrant collection of scholarship, activism, and the arts.
For up to date information on travel restrictions and recommendations for at-risk individuals, please see the CDC and WHO (https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019) sites on COVID-19.
If you have questions or concerns, please contact Executive Administrator Sandra Trudgen Dawson at execadmin@berksconference.org. We appreciate your patience as we sort through the many queries we are receiving. We will reply as soon as possible.
Thank you for your consideration during these uncertain times.
The Executive Committee, Program Committee Chairs, and Local Arrangements Committee Chairs for the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians.
COVID-19 contingencies for the upcoming Big Berks 2020
February 28, 2020
The Officers of the Berkshire Conference are monitoring the COVID-19 situation through WHO and the CDC, and will follow any precautions they suggest. If you have symptoms of the disease (cough, fever and shortness of breath), and think you may be at risk of carrying COVID-19 then please go to your nearest medical provider for testing. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, please read the CDC recommendations here. If you think you may be sick please follow these CDC guidelines and seek medical attention.
There will be more information coming as we develop a plan.
