International Women's Day 2010: Go see "Half the Sky LIVE" on March 4th!

My Dear Family & Friends,

In January I wrote about some of the books I read over the holiday break which included "Half the Sky" by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. It is now a New York Times bestseller and is in its 19th printing. I hope some of you have read it! Well, this blog post returns to the subject of women's rights and looks forward to International Women's Day in March.

First let me start at the beginning... Last year I ran across an advertisement for an International Women's Day event featuring a nationwide screening of the documentary film entitled "A Powerful Noise." The screening was sponsored by the human rights organization CARE International and featured not only the film screening but also a live panel discussion with humanitarian experts (Nicholas Kristof, president of CARE Dr. Helene Gayle, Madeline Albright, etc.) who discussed the importance of global women's rights and the significant role that women play in fighting poverty. I went to this event in the Twin Cities with my good friend, Anna. The whole experience was so powerful and inspiring that it is hard to put into words.

Then imagine my shock and delight when I discover that the taping of this year's International Women's Day film and panel will take place at NYU and will feature the book "Half the Sky" and its authors! So on the evening of Thursday, February 11th I headed down to the Skirball Auditorium at NYU to be in the audience for the taping of this amazing event!

The whole evening was a kind of surreal experience that is hard to describe. The event featured beautiful musical performances by India.Arie, Angelique Kidjo, and Diane Birch; the premier of a film directed by Marisa Tomei entitled "Woinoshet;" and a panel including Kristof, WuDunn, Helene Gayle, Sarah the Duchess of York (who was amazing!), and Rachel Mayanja, the UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women. They addressed three issues from the book including sex trafficking, maternal mortality, and violence against women. Their overarching message is that empowering women is the key to making positive and lasting changes in struggling communities in developing countries. It was an amazing evening that brought most of the audience to tears but left us feeling hopeful and inspired to be a voice for women's rights.

Anyway, here's the most exciting part: YOU can go see "Half the Sky LIVE" in your local theaters on March 4th at 7:30 pm and see exactly what I saw in person! This will be a one night event going on across all of the United States and Canada (even the Sioux Falls Century 14 Theater!) I guarantee that it will be a wonderful and inspirational event--even if you don't know a lot about women's issues or human rights, I would encourage each and every one of you to attend. I plan on going even though I was there for the taping! Here's the link for details about the event: http://www.ncm.com/Fathom/OriginalPrograms/event/Half_The_Sky.aspx

So please invite your family, friends, and colleagues and go!