Kennedy Society of Denmark
Purpose: Keeping alive John F. and Robert F. Kennedy’s inspiration
and philosophy of life, so that their good words can be translated into good deeds.

Profiles in Courage Award, 1988



The Kennedy Society has decided to award Land Parliament member Karl Otto Meyer with John F. Kennedy's book "Profiles in Courage" for the year 1988 for the following reasons:
For his courage to adduce arguments and insist on fundamental human rights as a spokesman for the Danish minority in South Slesvig and for his courage to unite this work with his commitment for general interests of the Land. In 1952 Karl Otto Meyer stated, "Beyond loyalty to the government is loyalty to freedom, truth and justice".
Furthermore, he stated that the German Federal Republic's Constitution says that "nobody should be forced to active service against their conscience", Soenderborg 23 January 1952.
In 1966 he defended the "equal right and equal recognition" for a majority as well as a minority in South Slesvig and maintained "courage to commit to the right of self-determination not only in words but in action", Flensborg News, 24 April 1974.
For a long period in 1987-88 Karl Otto Meyer has - under pressure - had the courage to maintain his convictions and thus given democracy in the land as well as in the federal republic positive incentives to the required innovation.