On April 23, UCSB Arts & Lectures, as part of its Thematic Learning Initiative, co-hosted with the Santa Barbara Public Library Taking Action Matters: Santa Barbara Organizations as Global Change Makers, featuring two-time Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof and representatives from Santa Barbara-based nonprofits. Held at the Santa Barbara Central Library with the library’s Programming and Marketing Librarian Jen Lemberger moderating, panelists joining Kristof were SEE International President and CEO Randal Avolio, African Women Rising Executive Director Linda Cole, Vitamin Angels Senior Program Manager Amy Steets, and Direct Relief Latin America Program Manager, Cydney Justman. A reception for major donors and then a town hall meeting, both with Kristof, followed.
Kristof explained the arguments in two books he wrote with his wife, Sheryl WuDunn. In Half the Sky , the argument is that the central moral challenge that we currently face is gender inequity around the world. This as not simply a justice issue, but also a practical issue, because educating girls and bringing them into the labor force gets at many other social issues as well. In A Path Appears, they argue that there are enormous benefits to individuals getting engaged in causes larger than themselves and that we now have evidence of what works in addressing social issues here and abroad such that these commitments can yield significant results.
Kristof’s columns often focus on global health, poverty and gender issues and he offered interesting insights throughout the program on these topics as well as on other issues confronting nonprofits. Guests got to hear short, compelling presentations by each nonprofit leader about his or her organization’s work before a lively panel discussion took place.