It was an oddly warm December 3rd day, with temperatures staying around seventy Fahrenheit all afternoon. I threw on a tie and walked to the E H Little Library, internally debating the speed at which I should walk with the amount of time I had until the event started. When I made it to the library, I went upstairs to the Davidsonia room - the one adjacent and connected to the Rare Books Room to wait with many other eager colleagues of mine.
When Nick arrived in the room, everyone simultaneously stood up and turned around to face him. The three lovely ladies who escorted him to the room were beaming from ear to ear, expressing on their faces what I knew I was feeling inside.
We moved to the Rare Books Room and began a Q&A session between the students and staff and Nick, centered around Half the Sky. He answered every question thoughtfully and with an understanding of the issues I've never seen in anyone before. He seemed to emphasize that women's rights worldwide are an issue that have gone unnoticed in history, and that the 21st century is the century in which violence (systematic and physical) against women will be the major moral conflict we as a world face.
After the questions were over, I personally got to walk Nicholas to his room at the Inn and had a few minutes to talk with him. I asked him about his time in Syria a few weeks ago, and he admitted it was a scary situation, and reporting from there seemed to really materialize the conflict both for him and for his readers. I also asked if he knew of the organization Dining For Women, a women's group centered around a potluck once a month during which the ladies learn about poverty and violence affecting women worldwide. At the end of the dinner, the women donate to a targeted charity what they would have paid for dinner at a restaurant. Mr. Kristof definitely knew of the organization and seemed interested in the mission they are doing.
Nick took a quick rest at the Inn, then I walked him to the President's house for a wonderful dinner. Many important students and staff members involved directly or indirectly with the information and movements surrounding Kristof's reporting and Half the Sky were in attendance. The food was delicious, and the conversation was even more savory.
Finally, we walked from the President's house to Duke Family Performance Hall, where Nicholas Kristof was to give his speech on Half the Sky and the inequalities women face overseas and within our borders. Kristof said, "The moral dilemma of the 19th century was slavery. The moral dilemma of the 20th century was totalitarianism. The moral dilemma of the 21st century is women's rights." He went on to articulate that those this alignment may seem a bit silly, it is something that seems to be true.
Nick is an incredible speaker, and he answered the questions from the audience following his speech with grace and a sincerity I've never seen. Nick genuinely cares about what he writes about, and I think that's what motivates him. It's refreshing to see someone so passionate about something so good. He and Sheryl are a dream team of justice abroad, and I cannot wait to see what else this couple gets up to in the next two decades.
After the talk, Nick stayed around to sign some books, and I got to get a quick picture with him. It was impressive to see Kristof is such a humble man, when he's achieved so much in his life already. I can't say that if I were in his position I would be as humble and authentic, but I doubt many could match up to the integrity with which Kristof lives his life.
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