Meridian Hosts ʺHalf the Skyʺ Premiere Reception

On September 12, 2012, Meridian International Center hosted the Washington Premiere Gala of the Half the Sky series in partnership with the U.S. Department of State Office of Global Women's Issues, Independent Television Service (ITVS)’s Women and Girls Lead campaign, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), and Show of Force to introduce the groundbreaking broadcast event of Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide.

Meridian’s President and CEO, Ambassador Stuart Holliday opened the program and shared welcome remarks. Featured speakers included CPB President and CEO, and Meridian Trustee, Patricia Harrison; Melanne Verveer, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues; Co-author of Half the Sky, Sheryl WuDunn; Executive Producer of Half the Sky, Maro Chermayeff; Actor and advocate, America Ferrera; New Light Founder and Agent of Change Urmi Basu; and Mary Ellen Iskenderian, CEO of Women’s World Banking.

Participants in this evening event included members of Meridian’s Council on Women’s Leadership and from the diplomatic corps, as well as those from the advocacy, foundation, U.S. Government, and policy communities. Also in attendance were several visiting delegations with the State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). A Nepalese delegation whose members work to prevent and combat trafficking in persons, as well as female journalists from countries including Egypt, India, Indonesia, Sierra Leone and Vietnam, joined in this special evening as part of their Meridian programming.

The evening’s program featured a screening of highlights from the documentary series, which was filmed in ten countries, a panel discussion and audience engagement, followed by a celebratory reception.