50/50 Day

50/50 Day is a free day and global initiative for people to engage in conversation about working towards a more gender-balanced world in all sectors of society: business, politics, culture, home, and more. The first 50/50 Day was May 10, 2017 which had over 11,000 events in 146 countries. Participating groups viewed the twenty minute film, 50/50: Rethinking the Past, Present, and Future of Women in Power, which explores the 10,000 year history of women + power — from setbacks and uprisings, to the bigger context of where we are today. Participants were also given free printed discussion materials catered to different ages, and joined an online global Q&A conversation featuring 24 speakers including The Honorable Joyce Banda (Former President of Malawi), Margaret Cho (Actress and Comedian), The Honorable Vigdis Finnbogadóttir (Former President of Iceland), and Eva Longoria (Actress and Activist). 50/50 Day’s model was based on an annual global day called Character Day.

History

50/50 Day was co-created in 2017 by Tiffany Shlain, the co-founder of the non-profit Let it Ripple: Mobile Films for Global Change, founder of the Webby Awards, and the co-founder of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences,[1] along with Sawyer Steele and Julie Hermelin.[2] 50/50 Day uses the short film, 50/50: The Past Present & Future of Women + Power, which explores the 10,000-year history of women and power,[3] as a starting point for a day-long internet-linked question and answer session with a number of women and men with achievements in their professions and philanthropic work which relate to the topic. Shlain and Let it Ripple produced 50/50 Day, and invited companies, museums, schools, organizations, and homes around the world to screen the film, and then open discussions via a simultaneous online video conversation.[4]

50/50 Day is an annual event.

Events

On May 10, 2017, the first 50/50 Day had over 11,000 events happening in all 50 states[5] and 147 countries. In addition, the event launched an animated billboard in Times Square in New York, New York which was made possible in partnership with the media company Refinery29 and the advocacy organization NARAL Pro-Choice America;[2][6] an art installation in Oakland made through a partnership with Six-Word Memoirs, Intentional Creativity Guild & Big Picture Arts;[5] and Philadelphia declared May 10 50/50 Day.[7]

Among the lineup of speakers at 50/50 Day were Joyce Banda, former President of Malawi;[8] Jennifer Finney Boylan, best-selling author, Co-Chair of Board of Directors, GLAAD; Araceli Campos, President, City of Los Angeles Commission on the Status of Women; Margaret Cho, activist and comedian;[8] Ava DuVernay, writer, producer, director and Independent Film distributor;[8] Vigdis Finnbogadóttir, former President of Iceland;[8] Dolores Huerta, activist and Union Leader;[9] and Eva Longoria,[10] actress, philanthropist, founder of The Eva Longoria Foundation.

References
  1. Friedman, Gabe (July 4, 2015). "Calling All Mensches — It's Time For Your 15 Minutes of Fame/". Forward. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  2. "NARAL Unveils Massive Times Square Billboard Calling for Gender Equality in Partnership with Refinery29 and 50/50 Day". prochoiceamerica.org. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  3. Liberatore, Paul (November 26, 2016). "Documentary film '50/50' looks at the history of women's fight for equality". Marin Independent Journal. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  4. "Tiffany Shlain and 50/50 Day Push for Worldwide Gender Equity". KQED Radio. May 8, 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  5. Rios, Carmen (May 10, 2017). "3 Ways to Celebrate 50/50 Day". Ms magazine. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  6. Struyk, Ryan (May 8, 2017). "The Note: Sally Yates goes under oath on Russia". ABCNews. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  7. Kuznits, Hadas. "Constitution Center Hosts '50/50 Day' Discussing Gender Equality". CBS Philly. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  8. O'Neill, Holly (May 10, 2017). "You Need To Check Out 50/50 Day". Image. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  9. "Quick Takes". San Francisco Examiner. May 10, 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  10. "KQED Radio">Presenters:Michael Krasny (2017-05-08). "Tiffany Shlain and 50/50 Day Push for Worldwide Gender Equity". Forum. 08:49 minutes in. KQED.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.