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.