A group of 12 people gathered at the Women’s Center on campus Sunday night

to preview a the new film “Girl Rising”. “Girl Rising” according to their website

is a movie that depicts the stories of nine girls from various

developing countries and their struggles to pursue an education and a better life for

themselves. The film will be shown this fall along with two other documentaries as part of

the Women’s Center’s first ever film series.

“I think there is for adults and for kids a lack of understanding about the value of

education and what it’s like for people who have to work so hard to get it, and there is a

difference between access to education for women and access to education for men

more so in other countries than here,” said Cassie Pegg-Kirby, Associate Director of the

Kent State University Women’s Center. I think it’s something that as a Women’s Center,

it is our responsibility to heighten people’s awareness of what’s happening globally with

women.”

All three films correspond with issues facing

women globally as well as in the United States. The second movie,

titled “The Invisible War,” will be shown on campus on October 22. “The Invisible War”

is a documentary about how sexual assault is handled in the U.S. military.

More information on the documentary can be found at www.inivisiblewarmovie.com.

The final movie in the series is “Half the Sky.” The movie itself is a four-hour long

documentary for PBS that follows reporter Nicholas Kristof around the world with

celebrities such as America Ferrera, Gabrielle Union and Olivia Wilde. The documentary

introduces women and girls who are living under extreme circumstances. “Half the Sky”

corresponds with the Kent State’s Presidential Speaker series this fall as Kristof and his

wife Sheryl WuDunn come to speak. For more information on the documentary, the

movement and the creators of the film, go to www.halftheskymovement.com.

Kent State’s Women’s Center is known for providing many services including

sexual assault support, a scholarship, and information on women’s health along with

various other programs. Jennie O’Connell, the S.A.R.T. Education Intervention

Coordinator wants the mission of the Women’s Center to leave an impression on Kent’s

campus.

“We’re not just about providing easy services to campus but we’re also here

about keeping the dialogue alive and keeping the dialogue real about whats really going

on — in our community, in our country, our world — and really getting people on

campus to participate in that dialogue, to maybe make some change,” O’Connell said.

Contact Jacqueline DeMate at [email protected].