Original Air Date:
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Guests:
- Nicholas Kristof
- Cheryl WuDunn
- George Clooney
- Angelina Jolie
- Ben Affleck
- Demi Moore
- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Show Summary:
Oprah welcomed Pulitzer Prime winning journalist Nicholas Kristof and his wife Sheryl WuDunn to speak about their book Half the Sky and the many ways that Americans can help make a difference in global gender discrimination that results in starvation, rape, mutilation, sex slavery, or even death. With the stories shared in the book and personal experiences presented by George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, Ben Affleck, Demi Moore, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the couple were able to represent the global conditions for women and what steps to take to help spread The Girl Effect.
Special Highlights:
This episode featured the following highlights:
- Kristof and WuDunn's goal in writing Half the Sky is to create a movement that will take a step towards ending poverty and extremism on a global level.
- Nicholas Kristof expressed that gender inequality is the greatest human crisis we face today as millions of women and girls are being discriminated against to their death.
- Pregnancy can be a death sentence to some women in developing countries as they are not able to get the medical attention they need to survive.
- Many of the global problems are solvable, says Nicholas, but they are difficult for Americans to fully understand.
More Highlights:
- With revealing articles in the NYT about Chad, Darfur, and the Congo, Nicholas Kristof has been able to get the attention of celebrities who have traveled with him around the world to help become spokespeople for change.
- For a movement to begin, Nicholas stated that the push for change has to start from the ground up with people raising awareness and taking a stand to work towards support in Washington.
- The problem with change is not that people don't want to help, it's that they may not know how. Oprah has made this simple by offering a For All Women hub of information on her website.
What to Take Away from the Show:
After watching this episode all I could think of was how I could help make a difference in a woman's life around the world. We all can help create a movement of change, no matter how small our contribution may be, it only takes a little to drastically make a difference in a woman's life. With micro-loans helping women create small businesses, donations going towards education and medical care, any action - even simply spreading awareness to your friends through email or social networking - is a step towards creating movement that can change the world. There is something so beautiful in women helping women become a better version of themselves and work for change around the world.
Products Featured in This Episode:
Nicholas Kristof & Sheryl WuDunn - 'Half the Sky'
Alfred a Knopf Inc
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Nicholas Kristof and his wife Sheryl WuDunn compiled the stories in Half the Sky to display the strength and courage of women who have survived and thrived through acts of severe cruelty throughout the world from gender discrimination. Through this book and the help from their celebrity friends, Nicholas and Sheryl hope to start a movement to help these women and girls get the education and medical care they need and deserve.
