Global Public Health Scholars screen Half the Sky

Dr. Lis Maring

Half the Sky film shows women's struggles and empowerment

The School of Public Health and Global Public Health Scholars hosted a screening of Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide on October 22, which drew about 250 students to view the film and discuss women’s empowerment and how to respond to the injustices shown in the film. 

“Half the Sky is a movement, it’s a documentary, it’s also a book,” said Dr. Lis Maring, director of Global Public Health Scholars, one of 11 College Park Scholars living and learning programs for academically talented freshman and sophomore students, and Director of Global Health Initiatives in the Maryland Institute of Applied Environmental Health.
 
The name comes from the Chinese proverb: “Women hold up half the sky.”

Half the Sky raises awareness regarding the many injustices women face throughout the world and focuses on strategies to empower women and girls around the world.

Two students hold up the sky

“It looks at the most upsetting issues, like forced prostitution, gender-based violence, and sex trafficking,” Dr. Maring said.

Despite highlighting the atrocities girls and women face, Dr. Maring said the stories are ultimately uplifting because of the individuals and groups that are mobilizing change and making a difference worldwide.
Maternal and Child Health doctoral student Hoda Sana, who is also a Half the Sky Ambassador, led the team to secure PepsiCo funds which were used to rent out the Hoff Theatre in the Stamp Student Union on Oct. 22 for the film screening.  Afterward, Half the Sky ambassadors prompted a discussion of several questions pertaining to the film.

Students made signs showing women holding up the sky

“We had great reactions,” Dr. Maring said.

Many people used the word “inspired” to describe their response to the event. One student commented, "I liked that so many people attended the event, I thought the sheer number of people who came together to talk about such an important issue was very empowering."
Members of the campus community were also driven to take action, commenting "I loved the movie and am going to seek the rest out on my own and hopefully read the book when I get the time. It definitely inspired me to get involved and would like more information from you on how to do so."

Half the Sky makes developing a program on college campuses easy, Dr. Maring said,  and both graduate and undergraduate students can become Half the Sky Ambassadors.

Dr. Maring with several of the attendees

Krishna Bhagat, a third-year doctoral student in the department of Behavioral and Community Health, is a Half the Sky Ambassador as well as a GPH Graduate Assistant.
She said Ambassadors serve as liaisons between the campuses and the movement.

Ambassadors receive discussion questions for film screenings, flyer templates, and can partake in videoconferences with the book’s authors and subjects, Bhagat said.

“As an ambassador, you can help to mobilize other interested students,” Bhagat said.

Melanie Oppenhiemer with her portraits

Melanie Oppenheimer, an undergraduate Half the Sky Ambassador, is an artist who received funding to feature her empowered women watercolor portraits in a traveling gallery.

The art will travel to other schools that are involved in the Half the Sky movement.

It includes portraits of women such as Edna Adan Ismail, who opened a hospital in Somaliland and trains midwives to use life-saving practices in small villages, and Malala Yousafzai, who survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban for claiming education as a basic right.

Various groups and organizations whose goals align with Half the Sky presented after the screening, giving students the opportunity to get involved in various ways, Bhagat said.

Students felt inspired and want to become more involved

Dr. Maring and Bhagat said they want to make Half the Sky a more visible group on campus by involving other faculty and students and doing activities beyond film screenings.

The First Year Book program in 2010 featured the Half the Sky book and the University of Maryland hosted Sheryl WuDunn, who co-authored the book with Nicholas Kristof.