OWEN BIEBER SOCIAL ACTIVIST AWARD
New honor is ‘reminder to redouble your efforts’
It’s hard to reflect on the international campaign to divest from South Africa, the worldwide Shell Oil boycott or the release of imprisoned South African trade unionists without thinking of former UAW President Owen Bieber.
Now the new Owen Bieber Social Activist Award honors Bieber’s many years of commitment and effort to social justice.
Bieber, UAW president from 1983 to 1995 who frequently testified before Congress, was among the first labor leaders to be arrested at the South African Embassy in Washington. He fought so hard to crumble apartheid that South African labor leader Nelson Mandela traveled to Detroit to personally thank Bieber and the UAW shortly after his release from prison in 1990.
“This award could not have a more appropriate name,” said UAW President Ron Gettelfinger. “Owen Bieber has a remarkable history of dedication to social activism. Our union is honored that the award is one way we can show President Bieber how much his commitment to social justice is appreciated.”
In 1986 Bieber convened a panel of prominent U.S. judges and lawyers to monitor the trial of unjustly jailed South African autoworker Moses Mayekiso. The courts found Mayekiso not guilty, and a South African judge blasted the prosecution for taking the case to court in the first place.
At the 29th UAW Constitutional Convention in 1989, a freed Mayekiso said of Bieber: “He is a leader who is concerned about the suffering of the people, not only in America but also in other parts of the world, especially South Africa and other countries that are disregarding the rights of the masses.”
In 1989 Bieber became the national co-chair of the Shell Oil boycott, which successfully persuaded consumers to not use Shell gasoline and convinced governments and corporations to find other sources to fuel their fleets. He took a lead in an international divestment campaign, convincing individuals and institutions to sell their holdings in companies doing business in South Africa.
Bieber said award recipients should see their selection as a reminder.
“Something like this does not mean you’ve done all you’re going to do,” he said. “It should be a signpost along the way, a reminder to redouble your efforts and continue on. It’s what we all have to do.”
