Journalist Laura Ling takes over YWCA lunch
I had to temper my disappointment Thursday after getting word that
Ashley Judd had to bow out of her appearance at the YWCA of Silicon Valley’s Inspire Luncheon. And that was certainly helped by the compelling performance of
Laura Ling, the journalist who replaced Judd as the event’s keynote speaker.
YWCA of Silicon Valley CEO Tanis Crosby said the nonprofit was informed Wednesday night that Judd would not be able to appear at its signature fundraising event because of a medical emergency. “She was very sweet,” Crosby said. “She even offered to send a doctor’s note.”
The YWCA’s event team sprung into action to find a replacement and were able to get Ling, who grew up near Sacramento and lives in the Bay Area. And while there must be some pressure in being a last-minute fill-in for an actress and activist with Judd’s star power, Ling showed none of that in a powerful speech to more than 1,000 people at the Santa Clara Convention Center.
Ling, you might recall, was one of two journalists detained by North Korean soldiers in March 2009 while reporting on the trafficking of North Korean women. The two women were held in North Korea for 140 days before being granted a special pardon.
“I have to say it is a little odd to be known as one of the women Bill Clinton ‘rescued’ from North Korea or the ‘North Korea Girl’ as I’m sometimes referred to as,” she said, “but if what happened to me finally allows me to tell the story that I set out to tell, I would gladly wear those designations.” SCU’S ARTFUL EDIFICE: Santa Clara University is hosting a community art celebration Saturday in honor of its new Edward M. Dowd Art and Art History Building, which features
Dale Chihuly’s beautiful sculpture “Persian and Horn Chandelier” hanging in its foyer.
Visitors can take self-guided tours of the 46,000-square-foot building building between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. It was made possible by a gift of $12 million from real estate investor
Ed Dowd, a 1972 Santa Clara University grad, who developed a love of art and a desire to give back after he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1993.
There also will be a showcase of the university’s art programs — with lots of performances and hands-on demos — happening on the Franklin Street Promenade (Franklin Street at Alviso), which is part of the campus’s growing Arts District.
ART AND ABOUT: Just a reminder that the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art has its live auction gala, Connect & Collect, on Saturday night. The doors open at 6 p.m., and the auction begins at 7. Tickets are available for $100 in advance or $150 at the door. Get more information at www.sjica.org and check out the live auction gallery on Flickr.
And speaking of things that are “going, going, gone,” this is the last weekend to catch the Lyric Theatre’s production of “The Music Man.” There are four performances left — Friday through Sunday — at the Montgomery Theatre in downtown San Jose. Get tickets at www. lyrictheatre.org.
Lee Shaninian, who has participated in 20 of Lyric’s productions, says this is one of the best he’s been involved in. “I can personally vouch for the quality of the orchestra, seasoned and strong,” Shaninian said. “Well, not 76 trombones, but it sounds like 76.”