Crystal Lameman - Global Exchange

Global Exchange’s 2013 Human Rights Awards took place on May 9th 2013, and the evening included a number of inspiring speeches.

Tears were shed. Hearts were lifted. Audience members adjourned for the evening poised to act.

Good news! Videos of the Human Rights Award speeches are now online here and also viewable below. Special thanks goes out to John Hamilton, KPFA and Democracy Now! for the filming.

Here’s a rundown of 2013 Human Rights Award Recipients and Presenters:

Human Rights Award: Global Exchange honored the life work of political critic and activist, Noam Chomsky. Randall Wallace, of the Wallace Action Fund, introduced Prof. Chomsky.
People’s Choice Award: Wikileaks/Julian Assange was presented the award by Kiki Kapany of the Julian Assange Legal Defense Committee, and the award was accepted by whistleblower hero, Daniel Ellsberg.

Grassroots Award: Crystal Lameman received the Grassroots award. She was introduced by Global Exchange Executive Director Carleen Pickard.

The Speeches:

Noam Chomsky

Noam Chomsky – 2013 Human Rights Award Honoree from Global Exchange on Vimeo.

Wikileaks

Wikileaks & Julian Assange – 2013 People’s Choice Award Winner from Global Exchange on Vimeo.

Crystal Lameman

Crystal Lameman – 2013 Grassroots Human Rights Awards recipient from Global Exchange on Vimeo.

More about the Awardees:

Noam Chomksy’s insightful and sharp analysis of corporate capitalism reveals the underpinnings of class warfare. His searing critique of U.S. military interventions, support for undemocratic regimes, its foreign policy and ambitions for geopolitical dominance has educated, challenged, and inspired millions for over 50 years, making him both a controversial and beloved figure for social change.

Crystal Lameman, is a member of the Beaver Lake Cree First Nation. With infectious dedication and passion, Crystal is fighting for her community and land, for the rights of First Nations in Canada and to stop the tar sands.

Wikileaks is a valuable tool for human rights activists the world over. Wikileaks helps whistle blowers bring forth information that is vital to public debate and have helped push stories hidden by secretive governments or ignored by corporate oriented media to the fore.

TAKE ACTION!

If you’ve watched the speeches above, you know that together we have a LOT of work to do.

Noam Chomsky had this to say about Global Exchange: For 25 years, this organization has been at the forefront of the struggle to put people and planet first, and I am proud to call myself a supporter of their work.

Please consider supporting Global Exchange and making a donation today. As our special way of saying thank you, with your gift today of $50 or more, you’ll receive a book signed by Noam Chomsky.

middle_earth_according_to_mordor-460x307

Is this Mordor or Tar Sands?!

Tar Sands extraction in northern Alberta is called many things – an environmental disaster, a carbon ‘bomb’, and it’s often likened to Tolkien’s Mordor. For someone who has been there, I think it’s an apt description. This summer, First Nations and Metis communities living at ground zero are inviting people to come together to join the fourth Healing Walk.

Forward on Climate rally in DC, Feb 2013

As the Summer Heat actions begin across the United States, “from where fossil fuels leave the ground, to the halls of power…” to challenge the fossil fuel industry and as activists prepare “…to stand up – peacefully but firmly — to the industry that is wrecking our future,” the Healing Walk invites us to, “come and see the impacts of the tar sands and be a part of the healing.”

I’m honored to be going. Sharing solidarity, ceremony and the Walk with communities on the frontlines of the tar sands is essential for me to re-commit to fight to stop the tar sands alongside those impacted by it. And also to recognize that those in power, often supported by immense corporate interests have failed to protect land, air, and water for future generations.

As the Healing Walk site says,

“No one feels this more then the people that have lived in the Athabasca River region for generations. They have watched their land get destroyed, they are forced to breathe dirty air, and in many communities they can no longer drink the water. The wildlife they have traditionally harvested are getting scarce, the fish they harvest have tumours, and the medicinal plants are disappearing along with the permanently changed landscape.”

Sign up to join the Healing Walk here.

When you join the Healing Walk, you will see the tar sands for yourself and have the opportunity to join others to heal the communities and land, and return home to take action with passion and determination. You will be amongst those directly affected by the tar sands who stand up everyday to speak on behalf of the land. You will march with Beaver Lake Cree Nation mother and tar sands fighter, Crystal Lameman, who was honored just last month at Global Exchange’s Human Rights Awards and inspired everyone in the audience with her telling words,

Crystal Lameman received the Grassroots Award in San Francisco, May 2013

“When disaster strikes it is not going to know race, color or creed. I’m here to tell you, when that happens, the greed is going to see that it cannot eat money and you cannot drink oil. And that we all bleed the same color. …If the government and industry think that throwing money at us is going to make this better, I choose life and my children’s lives and I choose health over money.”

And with the news of the planet hitting 400 parts per million of CO2, a number way beyond the limit of what is needed to maintain a healthy planet, her words are even more prescient.

TAKE ACTION!

Join the Healing Walk and be part of the solution to stop the destruction.

Details about the events and logistics for July 5th and & 6th are straightforward and lots of support is being provided for accommodations and transportation. Sign up now.

Please be in touch if you want to join me July 5th & 6th on the Healing Walk. Together we’ll come back ready to Beat the Heat this summer, fight the Keystone XL pipeline, work for climate justice and stop the tar sands.

350.org in Australia

It took a couple of years for the number to stick: 350. Its the number (parts per million of C02) that we need to maintain if we want to save our lovely planet. But this weekend we topped 400 and like the frog in the pot of water that is slowly coming to a boil we may have reached a point of no return. But we can’t live like that – fear and despair won’t change anything.

Crystal Lameman, of the Beaver Creek Cree who was honored at this year’s Global Exchange Human Right’s award says: “When disaster strikes it is not going to know race, color or creed. I’m here to tell you, when that happens, the greed is going see that it cannot eat money and you cannot drink oil. And that we all bleed the same color. . .…If the government and industry think that throwing money at us is going to make this better, I choose life and my children’s lives and I choose health over money.”

Crystal Lameman and Carleen Pickard at Global Exchange Human Rights Awards

350.org has been building the broadest possible movement to fight climate change — making links around the world from Uzbekistan to Argentina, keeping that 350 number in front of UN negotiators and student activists alike. So it was with some trepidation that I saw a long e-mail from Bill McKibben cross my computer screen this weekend. What could he say that would lift my spirits and encourage me to keep up the fight even as the water begins to boil.

He calls us to fight – to do hard, important and powerful things this summer. As we start experiencing the climate chaos of the summer months he says we have to turn up the heat on our politicians to get the number down again. “Summer Heat”— is a call to do something to stop our addiction to fossil fuels and the policies we’ve built around that addiction to maintain it — from fracking in California to the Keystone XL pipe line, to oil company’s dirty refineries to the struggles by front-line communities suffering from impossibly brutal extraction techniques, to mountain top removal and toxic sludge. To survive we have to struggle together.

Carleen Pickard, our Executive Director, said when she introduced Crystal Lameman, “I believe struggling for climate justice is our highest calling and greatest challenge as a movement. Some think of climate change as a distant or untouchable crisis, but we know every pollutant and every carbon emission is generated in a real place in real time. And as we confront this crisis together with the leaders from the front lines, we know an injury to any community on our beautiful planet will eventually injure us all.

Protecting the vitality of the atmosphere that sustains all life on Earth means we have to forge a new path past the international institutions have failed and abandoned us in the wake of corporate globalization. We must be brave. We must be fearless, and relentless. We must work together.”

Thank you Bill Mckibben! Thank Crystal Lameman, Thank you Carleen Pickard! It is one big fight we all want to be part of.

Join us at Global Exchange this summer to Beat the Heat! This will be a chance for thousands of us to show the courage and love we need to bring the number down!

Global Exchange staff at 2013 Human Rights Awards gala Photo Credit: Global Exchange

Wow, last Thursday was quite a night!

Global Exchange celebrated its 11th annual Human Rights Awards on May 9, 2013.

Photos from the event are below, plus lots more are posted on Facebook and Flickr.

We had a great time with everyone who came to the Palace of Fine Arts, and we’re grateful for the support of our donors, sponsors, and volunteers.

Together, we helped shine a spotlight on the work of our amazing honorees; People’s Choice Awardee Julian Assange and Wikileaks (chosen by online voters by a wide margin), Grassroots Awardee Crystal Lameman, and Human Rights Awardee Noam Chomsky.

It’s hard to deliver highlights from the night because there were so many! And this, coming from a woman who has been to almost every annual Human Rights Awards gala since its inception.

Grassroots Award Winner Crystal Lameman Photo Credit: Global Exchange

Ok, but if I HAD to pick one, I’d say it was the speeches. They were moving and honest and left listeners wanting to act.

Grassroots Honoree Crystal Lameman delivered a sobering account of how her community and First Nations in Canada is impacted by the Tar Sands and how through determination they’re fighting to stop the Tar Sands.

Daniel Ellsberg accepting award on behalf of Julian Assange and Wikileaks Photo Credit: Global Exchange

Daniel Ellsberg and Jacob Appelbaum accepted the People’s Choice Award on behalf of Julian Assange and Wikileaks. We were excited to welcome back Daniel Ellsberg who accepted Bradley Manning’s People’s Choice Award last year.

Daniel read Julian Assange’s acceptance speech which you can read here. The part about spies in the audience gave attendees quite a chuckle, and this snippet really stood out for me, referring to Human Rights Award Honoree Noam Chomsky:

Noam, you are the sea; relentless and enduring. Crashing wave after wave of understanding into towering cliffs of lies, eroding them at their base. The rotten foreshore of empire has a precipitous overhang as a result. You have inspired and continue to inspire many, including me.

Day of the Dead themed catering staff Photo Credit: Global Exchange

Besides the inspiring speeches, the evening included a silent auction, a Day of the Dead altar with catering staff from Work of Art catering who dressed the part, and musical entertainment by Rupa and the April Fishes.

Global Exchange Executive Director Carleen Pickard speaking at the 2013 Human Rights Awards Photo Credit: Global Exchange

The 2013 Human Rights Awards gala was also an opportunity for us to celebrate our 25th anniversary with many of those who have contributed to our successes over the years. Executive Director, Carleen Pickard, spoke from the podium about Global Exchange’s vision, victories and called for our collective action for climate justice.

Holding the event at the Palace of Fine Arts was perfectly fitting; the first Global Exchange Human Rights Awards gala was held there 11 years ago, adding a full-circle element to the evening.

As we take stock of Global Exchange at 25, despite the daunting challenges we still face, we look forward to celebrating more successes in the years to come.

TAKE ACTION!

Help build an unstoppable movement for change! Your continued support is critical to our efforts. Help us found an unstoppable movement for change for the NEXT 25 years. Make your tax-deductible donation to Global Exchange today.
Check out the 2013 Human Rights Awards photos— below and on Facebook and Flickr (and a few more on Instagram!)
We’re traveling to Oaxaca, Mexico for a 25th Anniversary Reality Tour, from October 30, 2013 – November 7, 2013! Join us for a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Rupa and the April Fishes

The 11th Annual Human Rights Awards gala is happening next week in San Francisco, and I’m excited to share with you the latest addition to our stellar lineup of special guests.

The global alternative sounds of Rupa and the April Fishes will support the Human Rights Awards on May 9th!

Back from a whirlwind world tour spanning North America, Europe and Asia, Rupa & the April Fishes will bring their global alternative sound to Global Exchange’s Human Rights Awards. The band has been touring heavily over the past 6 years, documenting the mix social upheaval and hope they witness around the world, from Central America to Greece, from the slums of India to their own Mission district of San Francisco.

Whether singing in French, Spanish, English, Romany, Tzotzil or Hindi, the April Fishes’ sound is “ecstatic and powerfully evocative” (LA Times) led by Rupa’s voice, which is “saucy, mysterious, and comparable in power to the late Amy Winehouse” (BUST Magazine). Their latest album BUILD, called “soulful and sensuous” by Relix Magazine, was produced with Todd Sickafoose (Ani DiFranco, Andrew Bird) and shows off the breadth of the band’s diverse chops.

We’re thrilled to have Rupa and the April Fishes as our special guests to help celebrate Global Exchange’s 25th anniversary. It’s going to be quite a night, as we honor the life’s work of Noam Chomsky, political theorist, writer, and activist, along with Grassroots Honoree Crystal Lameman and People’s Choice Winner Julian Assange and Wikileaks.

Get your tickets now! They will sell out.

Questions have been rolling in about our upcoming Human Rights Awards Gala happening on May 9, 2013 in San Francisco. So we came up with this Top Five list to help:

2013 Human Rights Awards Honoree Noam Chomsky

1. Will Noam Chomsky actually be there in person?

Why yes, 2013 Human Rights Awards Honoree Noam Chomsky WILL be there at the Palace of Fine Arts on May 9th, in the flesh!

Also being honored this year; Grassroots Award Honoree Crystal Lameman, member of the Beaver Lake Cree First Nation, and People’s Choice Awardee Julian Assange and Wikileaks.

How cool is that?!

2. Do I need to get my tickets now?

If you want to make sure you are able to attend, then yes, we strongly urge you to get them now to secure your spot(s). They are selling faster than ever before, and this year is extra special as we celebrate our 25th Anniversary.

Tickets ARE expected to sell out, so pick up your Human Rights Awards gala tickets soon.

Work of Art platter from 2012 Human Rights Awards gala

3. Will there be food and drinks?

Yes! Work of Art Catering will be providing beautifully presented, scrumptious eats and Frey Vineyards will be available for you fans of delicious-tasting organic, biodynamic, sulfite-free wines.

For you cocktail lovers, as a follow up to the wildly popular Justice n’ Ginger signature drink served at last year’s gala, this year we will be mixing up Caipirinhas, the national cocktail of Brazil, featuring organic, hand-crafted Novo Fogo cachaça.

Annie Leonard Human Rights Awards speech

Annie Leonard delivering her 2012 Human Rights Award acceptance speech

4. What happens at a Human Rights Awards Gala?

Where to begin?! A good place to start is this wrap up post about last years’ Human Rights Awards Gala.

In addition to delicious appetizers and drinks, guests can expect inspiring speeches by the Honorees, a silent auction filled with unique items, dancing to a live band, schmoozing with fellow guests, and a whole lot more.

5. Is there anything else I need to know?

There’s one more surprise guest who will be attending the 2013 Human Rights Awards gala, but we can’ divulge who it will be until April 29th, so stay tuned!

—

Still have questions?

FAQs: Check out this Human Rights Awards Frequently Asked Questions page for more info, and if you’re planning to attend, let others know by rsvp’ing on Facebook.
Follow hashtag #HRA2013 on Twitter for Human Rights Awards updates.

Hope to see you there!

Oh, and if you want a double-dose of Noam Chomsky, our friends at Meca are celebrating their 25th anniversary and will have Prof. Chomsky speak at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland on May 8th.

Global Exchange is pleased to announce that Julian Assange and Wikileaks have won the 2013 Human Rights Awards People’s Choice Contest by receiving the most votes from supporters of Global Exchange and human rights around the world.

Thank you for participating in the 2013 People’s Choice Award contest in advance of our 11th Annual Human Rights Awards and 25th Anniversary celebration on May 9th in San Francisco, CA. Once again this contest had tremendous nominees and thousands of voters from around the globe.

Wikileaks is a valuable tool for human rights activists the world over. Wikileaks helps whistle blowers bring forth information that is vital to public debate. It has helped push stories hidden by secretive governments or ignored by corporate oriented media to the fore.

Examples include exposure of insider trading at JP Morgan and the censorship of UK media outlets including BBC and The Independent. Wikileaks also revealed the inner dysfunction of Copenhagen climate negotiations and gave content to discontent that sparked the early Arab Spring protests. The shocking ‘Collateral Murder’ video depicted alleged war crimes by U.S. airmen, who appear to knowingly shoot innocent Iraqis from the air.

To learn more about Wikileaks, here’s a video clip of Bill Maher interviewing Julian Assange:

Grassroots Award Winner Crystal Lameman

Introducing our Grassroots Award Winner!

Crystal Lameman, member of the Beaver Lake Cree First Nation, will receive the 2013 Grassroots Human Rights Award.

So please join us to honor Julian Assange and Wikileaks, Noam Chomsky and Crystal Lameman on Thursday, May 9 from 6:30PM to 8:30PM at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco for a night of inspiration, celebration, and fun.

Get Your Human Rights Awards Gala Tickets Today

Tickets On Sale NOW! Special Early Bird price available until April 11th.

Carleen Pickard at Climate Rally DC

After months of organizing and momentum building, between 40- 50,000 climate activists showed up in Washington, DC at the largest climate rally in the history of the United States to send a clear message: It’s Time to Move Forward on Climate.

Despite the cold, we all gathered. And we kept gathering and growing with thousands of people arriving by the minute. Rev. Lennox Yearwood, leader of the Hip Hop Caucus kept us cheering, jumping and warm through the Forward on Climate rally.

We chanted ‘can’t stop, won’t stop’ between speakers on the rally stage where people such as indigenous leader, Chief Jacqueline Thomas of the Saik’uz First Nation, 350.org founder Bill McKibben, and President Obama’s former green jobs advisor Van Jones all highlighted the urgency of stopping the Keystone XL pipeline.

It was not until later when I saw the much-shared image that I really, really believed that fifty thousand of us demonstrated in Washington DC to change the course of climate change and demand President Obama keep his promise to protect future generations and cancel the Keystone XL pipeline.

photo: Shadia Fayne Wood | Project Survival Media

A full recording of the rally can be watched here.

Hundreds of buses carried thousands of activists from states as far away as Florida, Michigan, Rhode Island and Texas, where direct action resistance is being led by women like Julia Trigg Crawford and 78 year old farmer Eleanor Fairchild. Crawford and Fairchild both joined Melina Laboucan-Massimo and Crystal Lameman, First Nations women from Alberta, Canada – ground zero of the tar sands – at an event later that evening called “Woman of the Frontlines Speak.”

Speaking from both ends of the pipe, the packed room heard the devastating impacts of tar sands extraction on the environment, life and spirit. Impacts which would only be exacerbated by the Keystone XL pipeline.

Walter Riley at the Forward in Climate rally in San Francisco, CA

Walter Riley at the Forward on Climate rally in San Francisco, CA

Rallies and marches across the United States also carried the same message. Global Exchange was proud to also be present in San Francisco, at the 5000-person strong rally supported by dozens of local organizations and Idle No More.

Reports still cite a decision on the fate of the Keystone XL pipeline due soon, and no doubt politicians in Canada and the U.S. were watching Sunday’s events closely (Obama? Maybe – he was playing golf with Tiger Woods and 2 oil executives in Florida).

But I’m hopeful. In DC, speaking from the stage, Ponca Native rights activist Casey Camp-Horinek told the crowd, “Relatives, this is the beginning of change and I thank you and I love you.” Agreed.

TAKE ACTION

Incensed about President Obama’s “guys weekend“? Join 350.org’s action and call the White House today.

Let’s keep the momentum going and stop the pipeline once and for all. Join the week of action to Stop Tar Sands Profiteers, March 16 -23.

Exclusive Human Rights Speeches by Noam Chomsky, Julian Assange & More