The A-list

Inspiring minds...

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Who inspires you? Today is the United Nations International Day of the Girl. Established "to help galvanize worldwide enthusiasm for goals to better girls' lives, providing an opportunity for them to show leadership and reach their full potential." This week, I've been inspired by two remarkable women from very different fields who are both pushing the boundaries in their work to create new ways of engaging in the world. Tonight, I went to hear Sheryl WuDunn speak on the work she and her husband, Nicholas Kristof, have done on behalf of women in developing countries via their book and film, Half The Sky. And, two nights ago, I spent the evening with Diane Paulus, the renowned theater director who recently brought the revival of The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess to Broadway. Two women from very different walks of life who are deeply engaged in changing our world. Both stressed the importance of following your heart -- your passion -- to make a difference in the world through your work. While Ms. WuDunn's work may be more "life or death" in very literal and immediate ways, our world would certainly be lifeless without the Arts. Ms. Paulus delves deeply into social and political issues in her work -- she has taken on race, poverty, gender issues, and soon will tackle the Civil War and the womens' suffrage movement. Theater can be a way of galvanizing audiences to take on the defining issues of our times.

As a woman living in the US in the twenty-first century, I am reminded daily how lucky I am to have had the opportunities I've had to be educated, to follow my own free will, to have my own business, to earn my own money, to travel freely, and to make every decision I've ever made for myself as an adult on my own. So many women are having a critical impact on our communities and are shaping our world. Today, in honor of the Girl, I celebrate this.