Nazi-Fighting Grandmother Receives Award:
MHRN Raising Money to Send Craig to Denmark
During a January Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration in Helena, MHRN presented Butte's Edith Craig with its Walt Brown Award for fighting for human rights. Craig is the central figure in the fight to evict the Nazi Party from a house in Aalborg, Denmark. The three-story brick house sits in the middle of a residential neighborhood and features a 6.5 foot tall wooden swastika. A vigil by human rights activists in front of the house has gone on for over 500 consecutive nights, and violent clashes between Nazis and protestors have occurred in the surrounding area.
Craig's role in trying to evict the Nazis resulted from genealogical work done by her daughter. Craig's mother died shortly after she was born, and her father, a Danish immigrant, gave her up for adoption when she was a few days old. While trying to piece together the family's history, Craig's daughter made a shocking discovery: Edith Craig's father and half-brother were members of the Nazi Party. Further research unearthed that Craig's late half-brother, Gunner Gram Jr., left the house in Aalborg to the Nazi Party.
After being contacted by a Danish lawyer regarding the house, Craig decided to contest Gram's will, claiming she was the rightful heir to the house. Throughout this process, Craig has stated her goal is to evict the Nazi Party from the house. In August 1999, a Danish probate court ruled the house should be turned over to Craig, and she could evict the Nazis. However, the Nazi Party has appealed the ruling. The case is set for its final hearing on April 19, 2001.
At the MHRN ceremony, Craig received a bouquet of flowers sent by people from the Denmark neighborhood surrounding the Nazi house. An accompanying message said the Danish protestors would sing "We Shall Overcome" during the nightly vigil in front of the Nazi house that night in honor of Craig. Craig is a national hero in Denmark, and both Denmark radio and newspapers have covered her receiving the award from MHRN. Not only did MHRN present Craig with an award, it is raising money to buy plane tickets for Craig and her daughter to fly to Denmark this summer.
The award is named after the late Walt Brown of Great Falls. Brown was the president of MHRN's board of directors when the organization evolved from an all-volunteer group to one with staff and headquarters in Helena. The award is given annually to an outstanding advocate of human rights from Montana.