Some Goldman winners got government help
In the thick of environmental crisis, when “nationalism and xenophobia” threaten to “push the planet and humanity down a dangerous path,” said Susie Gelman, where the “erosion of civil discourse is being promulgated by the current administration,” the Goldman Environmental Prizes are an expression of optimism.
Gelman, who was the first speaker at the awards ceremonies and the most outspoken about political matters, is the president of the foundation that has awarded the prizes for 29 years. She’s the daughter of Richard and Rhoda Goldman, who founded the awards, and her brothers, Doug and John Goldman, are vice presidents of the foundation.
The accomplishments of the awardees prove the power of one, said master of ceremonies Pam Moore, who introduced the winners and the videos that outlined their struggles. The first on the program was Claire Nouvian of France, whose work led to a ban on deep-sea trawling for seafood. Her remarks were revolutionary — what most fans have come to expect from Goldman winners. Nouvian said she was fighting “mighty corporations” and “immoral individuals. ... We’d rather die than to cave in to the rampant corruption of systems.”
But this year, it seemed to be emphasized that while all the winners had overcome adversity, some had done so with the help of their governments. Manny Calonzo of the Philippines thanked his country’s government for passing legislation to ban lead paint, and the industry that had adopted this change; Khanh Nguy Thi of Vietnam “partnered with state officials,” according to the program, “to reduce coal dependence and move toward a greener energy future.” Their accomplishments were no less heroic than had they been a result of opposition to government, but their gratitude for government support seemed something of a departure from the feelings of previous winners, and as euphoric audience members left the Opera House for the postceremony reception at City Hall, this was reflected in the buzz of their comments.
Also much discussed: Out of seven winners this year, six were women. The selection of award winners takes place in November. “As we went through the nominees, there was no consciousness of gender ... until we went through the final selection, and we were thrilled,” said John Goldman at the reception. “We could not be happier.”
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1 John Killacky, who was head of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts before he became a program officer for the San Francisco Foundation, and then left in 2010 to head the Flynn Center for the Arts in Burlington, Vt., has announced his candidacy for Congress in Vermont. Before becoming an arts administrator, Killacky was a dancer and filmmaker.
He continues making films, but his dancing career ended when he became disabled after spinal surgery. Upon taking the job in Vermont, he told The Chronicle that it allowed him “to serve a community. That’s what I feel is my job in the world, to serve artists.”
1 Che Fico, a new Italian restaurant on Divisadero, has drawn the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, who posted on Instagram that the food was “extraordinary,” and Anderson Cooper ,a friend of the owner, who Instagrammed that it is a “really great, new pizza place ... and a fun, casual vibe.” Not so casual, though, that it’s easy to get in. Although there’s a place for Gwyneth and Anderson, reservations are elusive to locals who’ve endeavored to make them with the online reservation service OpenTable, the electronic gnomes of which seem to be laughing at one’s attempt.
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Eighty-five Bay Area staff and community members from Glide Memorial Church, the progressive Jewish community the Kitchen, the Rafiki Coalition of Bayview/Hunters Point, and students and faculty of Stanford University traveled to Montgomery, Ala., this week for the Thursday, April 26, opening of the Equal Justice Initiative’s Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice. This is a museum that focuses on lynching and racism.
The project grew out of a visit to Glide from Montgomery’s Bryan Stevenson, who founded the initiative in 1989 and is its executive director. The nonprofit aims to end mass incarceration and protect human rights. At first, it was thought that 10 or 15 people would go, and then it “expanded to the notion of a pilgrimage,” said Rabbi Michael Lezak of the Kitchen, which was preceded by five preparatory classes. Glide participants are supported by anonymous donors.
James Lin of Glide’s Center for Social Justice said the journey “is a model for how we will mend our own fractured communities.”