Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn promoting their event, Half The Sky, on the oppression of women.
This Thursday, the CARE organization is bringing attention to the plight of women worldwide with an event called "Half The Sky", based on the book by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. HuffPo:
Half the Sky LIVE captures an evening of discussion, musical performance, and the premier of Woinshet, a short film directed by Marisa Tomei and Lisa Leone. The narrative documents the trials and tribulations of an Ethiopian woman who surmounts the dual challenges of discrimination and violence. Her story is referenced in Half the Sky
While this event is meant to bring attention to the oppression of women in developing countries, events this week have left me feeling that we here in the US are not all that far ahead either. I think there is a lesson that could be taken from the Half The Sky event: Equality is a core value of democracy. Once you get past the jingoistic nationalism that simply declares the US "the best" without attaching any actual meaning to the word, it is incumbent upon all of us to push for an egalitarian society that provides opportunities to all of us, regardless of gender, or race, or religion, or sexual identity. Because we all hold up half the sky.
One of the most marked disparate in American society is our representation in Washington. Forgive me, but there are far too many rich, straight (or at least, presenting themselves as straight) white men making decisions that affect all of our lives. And that's reflected in the bobbleheads as well. How many times have I given you the line up to show one white man after another, opining on issues without any reflection of what that means to the rest of us? This week, at least, we have Nancy Pelosi--who suffers the slings and arrows of being demonized and discounted, as much for her gender as for her politics--on two separate shows to discuss the health care battles. Unfortunately, in both cases, she goes head to head with two of the whitest and least egalitarian members of congress: Sen. Lamar Alexander and Sen. Mitch McConnell. Sigh. We've come along way, baby? Nuh uh. We got a long way to go.
ABC's "This Week" - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.
CBS' "Face the Nation" - House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.; Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.; Sens. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., and Tom Coburn, R-Okla.
NBC's "Meet the Press" - Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.; White House health reform director Nancy-Ann DeParle; Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va.; Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League; Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla.
NBC's "The Chris Matthews Show" - Panel: David Ignatius, Kelly O'Donnell, Kathleen Parker, Michael Duffy. Topics: Real Cost of Health Care: Is The Prize Worth The Pain for Obama? Romney Off And Running: Does He Have The Right Stuff for 2012? Meter Questions: Is Mitt Romney the Most Likely GOP Nominee? YES: 9 NO: 3; If unemployment remains near 10%, can President Obama still get some credit for a jobs push? YES: 1 No: 11.
CNN's "State of the Union" - Pelosi; Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS" - George Soros, one of the world's richest men, discusses the economy, banker bonuses, and whether he is satisfied with what the administration has done so far. Then on the GPS panel, two smart Brits with views from the other side of the pond -- is Obama making a comeback?
CNN's "Amanpour" - Ehud Barak: An exclusive interview with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Fresh from a round of high level meetings with U.S. government officials, Christiane asks him about Iran, the Mossad and revelations of the son of Hamas' founder may have spied for Israel.
"Fox News Sunday" - Sens. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., and Robert Menendez, D-N.J.; Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.
So what's catching your eye this morning?
