Women's History: Petra Kelly

The threat of global mass destruction felt extremely real and close to home to many during the Cold War. The conflict between the United States and Soviet Union went beyond the two nations’ borders, threatening citizens around the globe. People felt paralyzed by fear, something illustrated by letters to advice columnists: Dear Ann Landers, should we put our surplus income towards a family vacation or home bomb shelter? (Answer: Fallout shelter.)

However, this angst turned into activism as world citizens took action, expressing themselves and raising awareness in their communities and beyond. Nena’s “99 Luftballoons” became a mainstream international hit in 1983; its strong antiwar message especially resounded with young people in Germany and the US. People were now informed and concerned, mad at government muscle flexed at citizen expense. The tension had eased considerably in the late 1980s, and this period of conflict had ended by the early 1990s. Petra Kelly was at the forefront of this movement (and so much more), responsible for working in both a governmental context, and for inspiring and organizing everyday activists across the Atlantic.

Petra Karin (Lehmann) Kelly was born in 1947 in a small town in Bavaria, Germany. She attended a Catholic convent school until her mother remarried a U.S. Army officer. Kelly adopted her stepfather’s surname and moved to the United States in 1960, where she attended high school in and graduated from college in 1970. Aside from success in the classroom, Kelly was active in the “antiwar, civil rights, antinuclear, and feminist movements,” campaigning for Robert Kennedy and Senator Hubert Humphrey. In her own words: “After supporting the civil rights and anti-war movements in Georgia, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., I became very much a nonviolent activist after 1968.” Kelly then continued her studies back in Europe at the University of Amsterdam, followed by working for the European Commission in Brussels until 1983.

Tragedy struck when her young half-sister, Grace, died of cancer in 1970. Along with her grandmother, Kunigunde Birle, Kelly founded the Grace P. Kelly Association for the Support of Cancer Research for Children in 1974. The goal of this citizen action group was to study the link between environmental causes and children’s cancer, as well as provide emotional support for children during hospital stays.

Petra Kelly is perhaps best known for her leadership in the Green movement and as co-founder of the (West) German Green Party in 1979. Die Grünen were ecologically minded and peace-oriented, seeking a neutral, inclusive stance– a radical departure from old party politics. Retaining her West German citizenship her entire life, Kelly was a member of the Bundestag (West German Parliament) between 1983 and 1990. She stayed involved in grassroots activism, building bridges across disciplines and borders, such as in the ecofeminist movement. Kelly was awarded for her efforts with the Right Livelihood Award (the Alternative Nobel Prize) in 1982. Regardless of such merits, Kelly was harshly criticized on both a personal and professional level throughout her career.

The Green Party lost popularity and public support in 1990 for an unpopular proposal regarding the reunification of East and West Germany. Petra Kelly lost her seat in Parliament and withdrew to refocus and regroup, nonetheless remaining hopeful and optimistic. Shockingly, her life and work were cut short in 1992 when she was found dead; presumably, it was a murder-suicide committed by her longtime partner and fellow Green activist, former German Army general Gert Bastian.

Kelly’s tradition is continued by feminist, environmentalist, antiwar, and human rights activists around the world. Her book Nonviolence Speaks to Power, long in the works, was released right after her death. The Green Party went on to be part of the coalition that governed Germany from 1998 to 2005. In her honor and memory, the Heinrich Böll Foundation has awarded the Petra Kelly Prize for Human Rights, Ecology, and Non-Violence since 1998. Petra Kelly is an inspiration to me due to her zealous and inclusive activism and involvement.

The following links are suggested sources for more information:

• A photo of Kelly and her grandmother.

http://www.geschichte.nrw.de/artikel.php?artikel%5Bid%5D=352&lkz=en

• The source of the aforementioned quotes.

http://www.globalnonviolence.org/docs/nonviolencespeaks/chapter12.pdf

• About the Petra Kelly Prize.

http://www.boell.de/en/10_preise/1544.html

• About her Right to Livelihood Award.

http://www.macronet.org/women/petra.html

• An overview on the German Green Party.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bündnis_90/Die_Grünen

• Another short bio.

http://www.time.com/time/europe/hero2006/kelly.html