Nicholas Kristof is scheduled to speak in Hendricks Chapel tonight at 7:30 p.m. as a part of the University Lecture Series. Kristof is a longtime columnist and a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who reports on social and political issues surrounding women’s rights in third world countries.

Power and privilege play a significant role in the information that gets shared. Kristof recognizes his privilege and uses it to benefit those he writes about. His columns all have a very simple yet effective formula: He makes the personal political. He uses personal anecdotes and stories to get his major social and political arguments across. This allows the reader to engage with these issues on a personal level.

I remember the first time I was ever introduced to the work of Kristof. I was sitting in my high school social studies classroom when my teacher passed out a photocopy of an article from The New York Times. It was called ‘Why Genocide Matters.’ The article went into an in-depth explanation of why Americans should care about the genocide in Darfur.

One sentence in particular struck me and has forever affected the ways in which I learn, think and write: ‘We have a moral compass within us, and its needle is moved not only by human suffering but also by human evil.’ Ever since reading this column in September 2006, I have purposely sought out every single one of Kristof’s articles and books. I think his overall content is very significant to our surrounding culture, and these specific words have a great meaning to every aspect of life.

While my gender may cause me to experience oppression in some components of society, there are many ways in which I am privileged. My race, class, sexuality and educational background all provide me with a sense of privilege that I am able to use for the benefit of others. Reading Kristof’s columns during the height of my interest in journalism has taught me an important lesson: I want to combine my privilege and words as a source of power to inform readers about important issues.

A popular feminist critique of Kristof’s work is that he perpetuates the stereotype of the white man saving third world women from their suffering. I understand the feminist argument against Kristof’s Western white male perspective, which sometimes sneaks its way into his writing. He has made some unsettling claims over the years that American feminism ignores third world females. His privileged background and outlook inherently affect his writing.

With all things considered, however, Kristof does more good with his columns than he does damage. We are all individuals capable of human error, and Kristof cannot help but bring his own experience into his writing. I would much rather a Western white male use his privilege for good and write about women’s issues to a large audience than have no one write about them at all.

My moral compass has led me to care passionately about women’s issues, both domestic and international, and to feel the burden of spreading this awareness to as many readers as possible. It is also leading me to attend Kristof’s lecture this evening, and I suggest all other Syracuse community members to do the same.

Krystie Yandoli is a junior women’s studies major. Her column appears occasionally, and she can be reached at klyandol@syr.edu.