ethecon Foundation Ethics & Economics Fundación Ética & Economía Foundation Ethics & Economics November 19, 2011 International ethecon Blue Planet Award International ethecon Blue Planet Award 2011 for the civil and human rights activist Angela Davis / USA Cover photo The photo shows Angela Davis during a rally in the USA. ethecon Foundation Ethics & Economics Fundación Ética & Economía Stiftung Ethik & Ökonomie Publisher ethecon is a member of the Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen ethecon (Association of German Foundations) Foundation Ethics & Economics ethecon is a member of the network Ahrenshooper Str. 73 of alternative and progressive political D-13051 Berlin / Germany foundations Phone +49 - (0)30 - 22 32 51 45 eMail [email protected] Chairman of the Board of Directors Dipl. Kfm. Axel Köhler-Schnura (Founder) Donations Account P.O.Box 15 04 35 40081 Düsseldorf / Germany EthikBank Freiberg GERMANY Schweidnitzer Str. 41 IBAN DE 58 830 944 95 000 30 45 536 40231 Düsseldorf BIC GENODEF1ETK Phone +49 - (0)211 - 26 11 210 GLS-Bank Bochum GERMANY Fax +49 - (0)211 - 26 11 220 IBAN DE05 430 609 67 6002 562 100 eMail [email protected] BIC GENODEM1GLS Internet www.ethecon.org Printed on 100% recycled paper edited August 2011 Yes, I dream of a better world. Why would I dream of a worse one? Otto Piene Artist who created the trophies of the International ethecon Blue Planet Awards from 2006 until 2009 ethecon Foundation Ethics & Economics Fundación Ética & Economía Stiftung Ethik & Ökonomie International ethecon Blue Planet Award 2011 for the civil and human rights activist Angela Davis / USA Table of contents The Blue Planet Project and the two ethecon Awards Speech by Axel Köhler-Schnura ................................................................................................................... 3 ethecon’s statement justifying the bestowal of the Blue Planet Award 2011 on Angela Davis ........................................................................................ 8 ethecon awardee Elias Bierdel on Angela Davis ......................................................................................... 8 Life and work of Angela Davis Recipient of International ethecon Blue Planet Award 2011 ..................................................................... 9 Awards and distinctions for Angela Davis .................................................................................................. 16 Songs dedicated to Angela Davis .................................................................................................................16 Selection of publications by Angela Davis .................................................................................................. 17 Contact details for Angela Davis ................................................................................................................. 18 Selected internet links ................................................................................................................................. 19 Selected organisations ................................................................................................................................ 20 Franz Josef Degenhardt “Angela Davis” ..................................................................................................... 21 John Lennon & Yoko Ono “Angela” ............................................................................................................. 23 Greetings from Prof. Dr. Dr. hc. Oskar Negt ............................................................................................... 25 Review for the honorary doctorate screening process at the University in Frankfurt/Main.............................................................................................................. 25 Greetings from Dr. Klaus Steiniger .............................................................................................................. 27 Greetings from Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Richter / GBM ...................................................................................... 29 Statements from previous ethecon Blue Planet awardees ....................................................................... 32 The International ethecon Awards .............................................................................................................. 33 The ethecon Foundation ............................................................................................................................. 37 www.ethecon.org / Facebook / Twitter Page 1 International ethecon Blue Planeett hPercoonje Fcoutndation Ethics & Economics Fundación Ética & Economía Stiftung Ethik & Ökonomie International ethecon Blue Planet Award 2011 for the civil and human rights activist Angela Davis / USA Page 2 www.ethecon.org / Facebook / Twitter ethecon Foundation Ethics & Economics Fundación Ética & Economía Stiftung Ethik & Ökonomie International ethecon Blue Planet Award 2011 for the civil and human rights activist Angela Davis / USA Axel Köhler-Schnura1 The International ethecon Blue Planet Project2 and the two International ethecon Awards3 Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear friends, Since 2006 ethecon – Foundation Ethics & Economics has bestowed two international awards annu- ally. Today we are here to present the awards for 2010. What are these awards? What are the ethecon awards all about? In order to answer these questions, I must expand a bit. My fellow founders of ethecon, the sustaining members, donors and of course myself, along with Mrs. Rehmann, both of us founding sponsors of ethecon, established the foundation in 2004. As indi- viduals who are not willing to sit back and watch fundamental ethical principles be trampeled upon, who resolutely take a stand against the fact that profit is increasingly the sole motivating force in our society and in managing the environment - for the sole purpose of making the rich richer, to the detri- ment of mankind and society with the risk of complete human, social and ecological ruin. We are look- ing at the social and ecological destruction of the planet caused by the disintegration of fundamental ethical principles on the part of those responsible for the economy. The idea to encourage efforts to save and preserve ethical principles and respectively to pillory those who have contempt for the same, matured in our founding year 2004. There are and have been many awards honouring "achievements" in various areas of society, but far too few prizes acknowledging resistance against the abuse and ruin of ethics and morals, and the subsequent environmental destruc- tion, war and exploitation. Our idea coincided with the art cycle "Blue Planet" created by the artist Otto Piene. Otto Piene – born in 1928 – is one of the major artists of the 20th century. Art connoisseurs well know that together with 1 Axel Köhler-Schnura, Dipl.Kfm., Düsseldorf/Germany, born in 1949, married, four children (one deceased); studied business administration, sociology, computer science, various languages: Until 1976 economic sociology research within the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/DFG (German Research Institute). After that various positions in private industry, the last position in the executive management of a polygraphical company. Since 1988 owner of companies in the field of ecology. Substantially involved in the founding of organizations as Dachverband der Kritischen AktionärInnen (Association of the Critical Shareholders), Pestizid Aktionsnetzwerk (Pesticide Action Network Germany/PAN) and the Coordination gegen BAYER-Gefahren (Coalition against BAYER-Dangers/CBG). Active as a volunteer on the board of Edition Kunst gegen Konzerne (Edition Art against Corporations), the Alternative Savings an Solidarity Fund ProSolidar and the international network of the Coali- tion against BAYER-Dangers. Founding donor and chairperson of the board of directors of the International ethecon Foundation Ethics & Economics; formerly in the German Coodinating Circle of the European Social Forum. Frequent publications. Awarded with the Business Crime Award 1998, the Prize for Civil Courage 2000 and the Henry Mathews Award in 2011; in 2008 nominated for the Alternative Nobel Prize. (Quoted from inter alia Who's Who/Edition for Germany an Wikipedia/Germany) 2 Detailed information about the International ethecon Blue Planet Project in the form of a brochure may be ordered free of charge from ethecon. 3 Speech on the occasion of the bestowal of the two International ethecon Awards 2010 on November 20, 2010 in Berlin www.ethecon.org / Facebook / Twitter Page 3 ethecon Foundation Ethics & Economics Fundación Ética & Economía Stiftung Ethik & Ökonomie International ethecon Blue Planet Award 2011 for the civil and human rights activist Angela Davis / USA Heinz Mack and Günther Uecker he founded the epochal ZERO-Kunst (the art group ZERO) and is the creator of Sky Art.4 Piene's message in his blue planet cycle: "Keep the Blue Planet green!" His creed is as simple as it is amazing: "Yes, I dream of a better world. Why would I dream of a worse one?" With their main focus on an international award, Piene and ethecon launched the "International ethecon Blue Planet Project". During the ensuing discussions it became apparent that it is not enough to acknowledge ethically and morally sound actions intended to bring about a better world. It is equally important to condemn misdeeds and dealings which violate and ignore ethics and morals and which are therefore responsible for the ruin of our "Blue Planet." The idea of two complementary prizes was born: the international ethecon-prizes, the positive "Blue Planet Award" and its negative counterpart, the "Black Planet Award". The two awards are an entity, two sides of the same coin. Together they mirror the status of the e- thical principles that define our world. At the same time they illustrate a vision of ethical and moral principles which make possible a world without exploitation and oppression. They denounce ruthless- ness, greed, war and environmental destruction; pursue the ideas of solidary, freedom, environmental protection and justice; call for resistance, change and commitment in the interest of these ideals; strive for a sustainable future for our world. One prize commends commitment to the preservation and rescue of the "Blue Planet" and points out prospects and possible actions, the other condemns the desecration of our world, points out the imminent dawn of a "Black Planet" and exposes complacency and ignorance. Together, the two international ethecon awards show one thing: there are grounds for hope. Or, in the words of Piene: "More light, more green!" As a matter of principle, the international ethecon prizes are awarded only to individuals and not to institutions. This is to counteract the increasing systematic anonymization of decision-making for, in a positive as well as a negative sense, it is always individuals who carry responsibility. Especially in the case of negative developments, personal responsibility is gladly hidden behind the facade of institutions and excused by alleged practical constraints which serve as grounds for decisions. Another important feature of the "Black Planet" trophy is that it is not a valuable piece of art. Instead, it is a cheap disposable product, created by a teenager. Because it is the younger generation whose future is being destroyed. It is the intention of ethecon to show young people that there are adults who 4 More about Otto Piene and his work may be found in the brochure "The International ethecon Blue Planet Project" (may be requested free of charge from ethecon). Page 4 www.ethecon.org / Facebook / Twitter ethecon Foundation Ethics & Economics Fundación Ética & Economía Stiftung Ethik & Ökonomie International ethecon Blue Planet Award 2011 for the civil and human rights activist Angela Davis / USA take responsibility for their welfare, who care about their future and who make all efforts necessary to assure that the planet is not left to our children and grandchildren as a barren desert. The international ethecon prizes are awarded annually, within a ceremony open to the public, like today. We invite as many socially active personalities as possible to take part. At today's ceremony members of the Anti-Castor (nuclear transport) movement are present, as well as Stuttgart21 (a contro- versial construction project) activists; we have statements from Greenpeace, Amnesty International, Pro Asyl and other groups from Germany and abroad. The recipient of the "International ethecon Blue Planet Award" is invited to attend the ceremony and has the opportunity to give a short speech. After a statement by an ethecon representative, explaining the reasons for the choice of the recipient, he or she is then presented with the award. As a guest of the foundation we also offer him or her the possibility to co-operate with the foundation or within our network. The bestowal of the "International ethecon Blue Planet Award" is documented in a dossier, which is translated into three languages and distributed internationally. The process differs for the "International ethecon Black Planet Award": during the ceremony the be- stowal is simply announced. The award winners are informed by means of an open letter circulated internationally in three languages. The detailed justification statement is published in a brochure, which is also distributed in three languages throughout the world. Within six months the recipients are pre- sented with the award during a public demonstation, staged as sensationally as possible. Included in this protest gathering are as many individuals and organisations from international social movements as possible. It is a telling fact that, as a rule, the individuals "honoured" with the international ethecon Black Planet Award" disdain the trophy. Not one of these censured persons has personally accepted the a- ward and thereby stood up to public criticism. Up until now, only once – in the case of Peter Brabeck- Letmathe, Liliane de Bettencourt as well as other executives and major shareholders of the food indus- try giant Nestlé in 2006 – was the trophy voluntarily accepted by the recipients. And then by a represen- tative of the press department in front of the main gate to the corporate headquarters in Switzerland. We have no knowledge of what happened to it after that. In the case of the bestowal of the International ethecon Black Planet Award 2009 onto the major shareholders and executives of the Taiwanese chemical and genetic engineering firm Formosa Plastics Group we were witnesses to the destruction of the trophy by security forces, who in a very angry and demonstrative manner threw the award into the rubbish bin. Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear friends, www.ethecon.org / Facebook / Twitter Page 5 ethecon Foundation Ethics & Economics Fundación Ética & Economía Stiftung Ethik & Ökonomie International ethecon Blue Planet Award 2011 for the civil and human rights activist Angela Davis / USA "ethecon – Foundation Ethics & Economics" is a grass-roots foundation within the world-wide anti- corporate and anti-globalisation movements for environmental protection, peace and justice and sus- tained by activists against corporate power, exploitation, war and environmental destruction. It is con- nected to world-wide networks and committed to the principles of international solidarity. The "International ethecon Blue Planet Project", with its two international ethecon prizes, sees itself accordingly as a symbol of this solidarity and these principles. This is expressed not only through the nature of the project and the awards and through the character of the award recipients, but also in the selection procedure for the annual prizes. The award winners are not selected by the foundation boards alone, but rather in a process of inter- national solidarity. Each spring, thousands of individuals and groups who work actively throughout the world in the fight for peace, justice and environmental protection are asked to suggest award nomi- nees. Later, the names of the award winners and information about the bestowal ceremony are con- veyed back to these critical groups. The integration of the foundation in international movements for peace, environmental protection and justice may be clearly seen in the increasing participation of other groups in the presentation "ce- remony" for the "International ethecon Black Planet Award", the networking among these groups be- coming consistently better and better. The award is presented in the recipient's city of residence, ac- companied by visible protests staged by an increasing number of activist groups. The public flogging of the "Black Planet Award" recipients has become more and more effective through the power and en- ergy of these international movements. In Taiwan, for example, the "International ethecon Black Planet Award 2009" was the object of widespread media coverage for weeks. The defaming of the executives of Formosa Plastics was reported without exception by all the regional media at least twice. The selection of the annual award receivers on these basic principles, the annual bestowal cere- mony in the course of a conference with varying themes pertaining to our responsibility for the preser- vation of a liveable world, the presentation of the "International ethecon Black Planet Award" - accom- panied by international publicity actions - this is the essence of the "International ethecon Blue Planet Project". When the Blue Planet Award was born in 2005, we needed an accompanying trophy. Otto Piene agreed to cooperate with us and starting in 2006 he created a new trophy each year, the "International ethecon Blue Planet Award", as a valuable and unique glass and wood sculpture. That is, until the year 2009. Then he asked us – having in the meantime reached the age of 82 – to be relieved of this role. In the person of Katharina Mayer, the great photographic artist and Becher pupil, born in 1958, we found someone who will worthily continue the Blue Planet Project, founded by ethe- Page 6 www.ethecon.org / Facebook / Twitter