Bianca Jagger
Encyclopedia
Bianca Jagger is a Nicaragua
n-born social and human rights
advocate and a former actress and model. Jagger currently serves as a Council of Europe
Goodwill Ambassador, Founder and Chair of the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation, Member of the Executive Director's Leadership Council of Amnesty International USA
, and a Trustee of the Amazon Charitable Trust. Over the past thirty years she has written articles and opinion pieces, delivered keynote speeches at conferences and events throughout the world and participated in numerous television and radio debates, about numerous issues including genocide, the war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, the war on terror, war crimes against humanity, crimes against future generations, the Former Yugoslavia, Sri Lanka, Central America, Iran, Iraq, India, children and women’s rights, the rights of indigenous peoples, climate change, the rainforest, renewable energy, corporate social responsibility, the ensuing erosion of civil liberties and human rights, and the death penalty.
She was formerly married to Mick Jagger
, lead singer of The Rolling Stones
.
in France at the Paris Institute of Political Studies
. She has also been influenced by Gandhi's non-violent success and the eastern philosophy at large. She traveled extensively in India.
at a party after a Rolling Stones concert in September 1970 in France. On May 12, 1971, while she was four months pregnant, the couple married in a Roman Catholic ceremony in Saint-Tropez, France
, and she became his first wife. The couple's only child, a daughter named Jade
, was born on October 21, 1971 in Paris, France. In May 1978, she filed for divorce on the grounds of his adultery with model Jerry Hall
. Bianca later said "My marriage ended on my wedding day".
In addition to her extensive charitable works, Jagger had a public reputation as a jet-setter and party-goer in the 1970s and early 1980s, being closely associated in the public mind with New York City's nightclub Studio 54
. She also became known particularly as a friend of pop artist Andy Warhol
.
Jagger has dual nationality, as a naturalised British citizen and citizen of Nicaragua.
Jagger has two granddaughters from her daughter Jade, Assisi Lola (born in 1992) and Amba Isis (born in 1996).
in Honduras
. At one point during her official visit, the entire staff saw about 40 captured refugees marched away at gunpoint towards El Salvador
by a death squad
. Armed with nothing but cameras to document the raid, Jagger and the delegation trailed the squad along a river towards the El Salvadoran border. When both groups were within auditory
range of each other, Jagger and the staff shouted at the M-16 equipped raiders, "you will have to kill us all!". The squad released its captives and a transformation had thus begun for Jagger. In subsequent interviews, Jagger has recounted this incident as "a turning point in my life."
, which destroyed Managua, the capital, leaving a toll of more than 10,000 deaths and tens of thousands homeless.
In early 1979, Jagger visited Nicaragua with an International Red Cross delegation and was shocked by the brutality and oppression that the Somoza regime carried out there. This persuaded her to commit herself to the issues of justice and human rights.
In the 1980s, she worked to oppose US government intervention in Nicaragua after the Sandinista revolution. She has also opposed the death penalty and defended the rights of women and of indigenous peoples
in Latin America
, notably the Yanomami tribe in Brazil against the invasion of gold miners
. She spoke up for victims of the conflicts in Bosnia and Serbia. Her writings were published in several newspapers (including the New York Times and the Sunday Express). From the late 1970s she collaborated with many humanitarian organisations including Amnesty International
and Human Rights Watch
.
She was also a member of the Twentieth Century Task Force to Apprehend War Criminals, and a trustee of the Amazon Charitable Trust. She gave a reading at the start of the memorial service in London's Westminster Cathedral
, which was timed to coincide with the funeral in Brazil of Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes
, who was shot eight times on a tube-train
after being mistaken for a suicide bomber in London. In March 2007 she became involved with Sarah Teather
and the campaign to close Guantanamo Bay
.
In March 2002, Jagger travelled to Afghanistan
with a delegation of fourteen women, organised by Global Exchange to support Afghan women’s projects. On December 16, 2003 Jagger was nominated Council of Europe Goodwill Ambassador.
From 2007 to 2009 she was Chair of the World Future Council
. On July 7, 2007, Jagger presented at the German leg
of Live Earth
in Hamburg
. In July 2008, she was a signatory to a petition to the Catholic bishops of England and Wales to allow the wider celebration of the traditional Latin Mass. In January 2009, Jagger addressed some 12,000 people who rallied in Trafalgar Square
in protest against an Israeli offensive in the Gaza several days earlier.
On October 8, 2010 she spoke at the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas
(ASPO) 2010 world conference on moving beyond petroleum and "Crimes against Present and Future Generations".
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
n-born social and human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
advocate and a former actress and model. Jagger currently serves as a Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
Goodwill Ambassador, Founder and Chair of the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation, Member of the Executive Director's Leadership Council of Amnesty International USA
Amnesty International USA
Amnesty International USA is one of many country sections that make up Amnesty International worldwide.Amnesty International is an organization of more than 2.2 million supporters, activists and volunteers in over 150 countries, with complete independence from government, corporate or national...
, and a Trustee of the Amazon Charitable Trust. Over the past thirty years she has written articles and opinion pieces, delivered keynote speeches at conferences and events throughout the world and participated in numerous television and radio debates, about numerous issues including genocide, the war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, the war on terror, war crimes against humanity, crimes against future generations, the Former Yugoslavia, Sri Lanka, Central America, Iran, Iraq, India, children and women’s rights, the rights of indigenous peoples, climate change, the rainforest, renewable energy, corporate social responsibility, the ensuing erosion of civil liberties and human rights, and the death penalty.
She was formerly married to Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
, lead singer of The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
.
Early life and education
Jagger was born in Managua, Nicaragua. Her father was a successful import-export merchant and her mother a housewife. They divorced when Bianca was ten and she stayed with her mother, who had to take care of three children on a small income. She received a scholarship to study political sciencePolitical science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
in France at the Paris Institute of Political Studies
Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris
The Institut d'études politiques de Paris , simply referred to as Sciences Po , is a public research and higher education institution in Paris, France, specialised in the social sciences. It has the status of grand établissement, which allows its admissions process to be highly selective...
. She has also been influenced by Gandhi's non-violent success and the eastern philosophy at large. She traveled extensively in India.
Marriage, family and public life
Bianca met Mick JaggerMick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
at a party after a Rolling Stones concert in September 1970 in France. On May 12, 1971, while she was four months pregnant, the couple married in a Roman Catholic ceremony in Saint-Tropez, France
Saint-Tropez
Saint-Tropez is a town, 104 km to the east of Marseille, in the Var department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. It is also the principal town in the canton of Saint-Tropez....
, and she became his first wife. The couple's only child, a daughter named Jade
Jade Jagger
Jade Sheena Jezebel Jagger is an English jewelry designer, socialite and former model.-Early life:Jagger was born in Paris, France. She is the only child of Bianca , a Nicaraguan-born actress and philanthropist, and Mick Jagger, an English musician and actor...
, was born on October 21, 1971 in Paris, France. In May 1978, she filed for divorce on the grounds of his adultery with model Jerry Hall
Jerry Hall
Jerry Faye Hall is an American model and actress, also known for her long-term relationship with Mick Jagger, with whom she had four children.-Early life:...
. Bianca later said "My marriage ended on my wedding day".
In addition to her extensive charitable works, Jagger had a public reputation as a jet-setter and party-goer in the 1970s and early 1980s, being closely associated in the public mind with New York City's nightclub Studio 54
Studio 54
Studio 54 was a highly popular discotheque from 1977 until 1991, located at 254 West 54th Street in Manhattan, New York, USA. It was originally the Gallo Opera House, opening in 1927, after which it changed names several times, eventually becoming a CBS radio and television studio. In 1977 it...
. She also became known particularly as a friend of pop artist Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
.
Jagger has dual nationality, as a naturalised British citizen and citizen of Nicaragua.
Jagger has two granddaughters from her daughter Jade, Assisi Lola (born in 1992) and Amba Isis (born in 1996).
Epiphany
In 1981, Jagger was part of a US congressional delegation stationed at a UN refugee campRefugee camp
A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees. Hundreds of thousands of people may live in any one single camp. Usually they are built and run by a government, the United Nations, or international organizations, or NGOs.Refugee camps are generally set up in an impromptu...
in Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
. At one point during her official visit, the entire staff saw about 40 captured refugees marched away at gunpoint towards El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
by a death squad
Death squad
A death squad is an armed military, police, insurgent, or terrorist squad that conducts extrajudicial killings, assassinations, and forced disappearances of persons as part of a war, insurgency or terror campaign...
. Armed with nothing but cameras to document the raid, Jagger and the delegation trailed the squad along a river towards the El Salvadoran border. When both groups were within auditory
Hearing (sense)
Hearing is the ability to perceive sound by detecting vibrations through an organ such as the ear. It is one of the traditional five senses...
range of each other, Jagger and the staff shouted at the M-16 equipped raiders, "you will have to kill us all!". The squad released its captives and a transformation had thus begun for Jagger. In subsequent interviews, Jagger has recounted this incident as "a turning point in my life."
Epiphany (feeling)
An epiphany is the sudden realization or comprehension of the essence or meaning of something...
Activism
Bianca Jagger founded the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation, which she chairs. She returned to Nicaragua to look for her parents after the 1972 Nicaragua earthquake1972 Nicaragua earthquake
The 1972 Nicaragua earthquake was an earthquake that occurred at 12:29 a.m. local time on Saturday, December 23, 1972 near Managua, the capital of Nicaragua. It had a magnitude of 6.2 and occurred at a depth of about 5 kilometers beneath the centre of the city. Within an hour after the main...
, which destroyed Managua, the capital, leaving a toll of more than 10,000 deaths and tens of thousands homeless.
In early 1979, Jagger visited Nicaragua with an International Red Cross delegation and was shocked by the brutality and oppression that the Somoza regime carried out there. This persuaded her to commit herself to the issues of justice and human rights.
In the 1980s, she worked to oppose US government intervention in Nicaragua after the Sandinista revolution. She has also opposed the death penalty and defended the rights of women and of indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, notably the Yanomami tribe in Brazil against the invasion of gold miners
Gold mining
Gold mining is the removal of gold from the ground. There are several techniques and processes by which gold may be extracted from the earth.-History:...
. She spoke up for victims of the conflicts in Bosnia and Serbia. Her writings were published in several newspapers (including the New York Times and the Sunday Express). From the late 1970s she collaborated with many humanitarian organisations including Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
and Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
.
She was also a member of the Twentieth Century Task Force to Apprehend War Criminals, and a trustee of the Amazon Charitable Trust. She gave a reading at the start of the memorial service in London's Westminster Cathedral
Westminster Cathedral
Westminster Cathedral in London is the mother church of the Catholic community in England and Wales and the Metropolitan Church and Cathedral of the Archbishop of Westminster...
, which was timed to coincide with the funeral in Brazil of Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes
Jean Charles de Menezes
Jean Charles de Menezes was a Brazilian man shot in the head seven times at Stockwell tube station on the London Underground by the London Metropolitan police, after he was misidentified as one of the fugitives involved in the previous day's failed bombing attempts...
, who was shot eight times on a tube-train
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
after being mistaken for a suicide bomber in London. In March 2007 she became involved with Sarah Teather
Sarah Teather
Sarah Louise Teather is a British Liberal Democrat politician, Member of Parliament for Brent Central, Minister of State at the Department for Education, and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Guantanamo Bay....
and the campaign to close Guantanamo Bay
Guantanamo Bay detainment camp
The Guantanamo Bay detention camp is a detainment and interrogation facility of the United States located within Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. The facility was established in 2002 by the Bush Administration to hold detainees from the war in Afghanistan and later Iraq...
.
In March 2002, Jagger travelled to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
with a delegation of fourteen women, organised by Global Exchange to support Afghan women’s projects. On December 16, 2003 Jagger was nominated Council of Europe Goodwill Ambassador.
From 2007 to 2009 she was Chair of the World Future Council
World Future Council
The World Future Council is an independent body formally founded in Hamburg, Germany on 10 May 2007. "Formed to speak on behalf of policy solutions that serve the interests of future generations", it includes members active in governmental bodies, civil society, business, science and the arts...
. On July 7, 2007, Jagger presented at the German leg
Live Earth concert, Hamburg
The Live Earth concert in Germany was held at HSH Nordbank Arena, Hamburg on 7 July 2007.-Running order:In order of appearance:*Shakira - "Don't Bother", "Inevitable", "Dia Especial" with Gustavo Cerati, "Hips Don't Lie"...
of Live Earth
Live Earth
-Background:Founded by Emmy-winning producer Kevin Wall, in partnership with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, Live Earth was built upon the belief that entertainment has the power to transcend social and cultural barriers to move the world community to action...
in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. In July 2008, she was a signatory to a petition to the Catholic bishops of England and Wales to allow the wider celebration of the traditional Latin Mass. In January 2009, Jagger addressed some 12,000 people who rallied in Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London, England, United Kingdom. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of...
in protest against an Israeli offensive in the Gaza several days earlier.
On October 8, 2010 she spoke at the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas
Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas
The Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas, or ASPO, is a network of scientists, affiliated with a wide array of global institutions and universities, whose goal is to attempt to determine the date and impact of the peak and decline of the world’s production of oil and gas, due to resource...
(ASPO) 2010 world conference on moving beyond petroleum and "Crimes against Present and Future Generations".
Awards
For her international work on behalf of humanitarian causes, Jagger has earned numerous awards, including:- 1983 Honorary Doctorate of Humanities degree from Stonehill CollegeStonehill CollegeStonehill College is a private Roman Catholic college located in Easton, Massachusetts, United States, founded in 1948. Situated in North Easton, Massachusetts, a suburban community of 23,329 people, Stonehill is located south of Boston on a campus, the original estate of Frederick Lothrop Ames...
in Massachusetts - 1994 United Nations Earth DayEarth DayEarth Day is a day that is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural environment. The name and concept of Earth Day was allegedly pioneered by John McConnell in 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco. The first Proclamation of Earth Day was by San Francisco, the...
award - 1996 Hispanic Federation of New York City’s Humanitarian Award
- 1996 Woman of the Year Title from the Boys Town of Italy
- 1996 Abolitionist of the Year Award from the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
- 1997 Green Globe award from the Rainforest AllianceRainforest AllianceThe Rainforest Alliance is a non-governmental organization with the published aims of working to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior. It is based in New York City, and has offices throughout the...
- 1997 Amnesty International USA Media Spotlight Award for Leadership
- 1997 Inducted to the Hall of Fame in Miami Children’s Hospital FoundationMiami Children’s Hospital FoundationMiami Children’s Hospital Foundation is a not-for-profit 501 organization with the sole purpose of supporting .-Background:The mission of Miami Children’s Hospital Foundation is to create awareness and generate philanthropic support for Miami Children's Hospital, a licensed specialty hospital in...
- 1998 American Civil Liberties UnionAmerican Civil Liberties UnionThe American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
Award - 2000 Champion of Justice Award
- 2003 International Award from
- 2004 Women's World AwardWomen's World AwardWinners of the Women's World Award, sponsored by the World Awards organization headed by former USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev, intended for women who have influenced the world by their work in areas such as society or politics. The award has been given since 2004. No monetary prize is attached;...
(World Achievement) from Mikhail GorbachevMikhail GorbachevMikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991... - 2004 Right Livelihood AwardRight Livelihood AwardThe Right Livelihood Award, also referred to as the "Alternative Nobel Prize", is a prestigious international award to honour those "working on practical and exemplary solutions to the most urgent challenges facing the world today". The prize was established in 1980 by Jakob von Uexkull, and is...
- 2006 World Citizenship Award from The Nuclear Age Peace FoundationNuclear Age Peace FoundationThe Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is a non-profit international organization on the roster in consultative status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council...
- 2006 Office of the Americas Peace and Justice Award
- 2008 Honorary Doctorate of Human Rights degree from Simmons CollegeSimmons CollegeSimmons College may refer to:*Simmons College of Kentucky, a historically black college in Louisville, Kentucky*Simmons College , a liberal arts college in Boston, Massachusetts...
in Massachusetts
Film and television
Bianca also appeared in several movies and TV shows:- Cocksucker BluesCocksucker BluesCocksucker Blues is an unreleased documentary film directed by the noted still photographer Robert Frank chronicling The Rolling Stones' North American tour in 1972 in support of their album Exile on Main St..-Production:...
(1972, documentary about the Rolling Stones' 1972 North American tour) - Flesh ColorFlesh ColorFlesh Color is a 35 mm film by François Weyergans . Weyergans is one of the forty members known as immortals of the French Academy...
(Couleur chair) (1978) - All You Need Is CashAll You Need Is CashAll You Need Is Cash is a 1978 television film that traces the career of a fictitious British rock group called The Rutles...
(1978, as Martini) - The American Success Company (1979; as Corrine)
- The Cannonball Run (1981, as sheik's sister)
- In Our Hands (1984)
- Miami ViceMiami ViceMiami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
(1985) TV episode "Free Verse" - Street HawkStreet HawkStreet Hawk is an American television series that aired for 13 episodes on ABC in 1985. The series was a Limekiln and Templar Production in association with Universal Television. Its central characters were created by Paul M. Belous and Robert "Bob" Wolterstorff, and its core format was developed...
(1985) TV episode "The Unthinkable" - HotelHotel (TV series)Hotel is an American prime time drama series which aired on ABC from September 21, 1983 to May 5, 1988 in the timeslot following Dynasty....
(1986) TV episode "Separation" - The ColbysThe ColbysThe Colbys is an American prime time soap opera, which originally aired on ABC from November 20, 1985 to March 26, 1987. The Aaron Spelling-produced series was a spin-off of Dynasty, which had been the highest rated series for the 1984-1985 U.S. television season...
(1987) TV episode "Betrayal" - SuccessSuccess (film)Success is a 1991 German drama film directed by Franz Seitz, Jr.. It was entered into the 41st Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Bruno Ganz as Jacques Tüverlin* Franziska Walser as Johanna Krain* Peter Simonischek as Dr...
(1989) - C.H.U.D. II: Bud the C.H.U.D.C.H.U.D. II: Bud the C.H.U.D.C.H.U.D. II: Bud the C.H.U.D. is a 1989 comedy horror film, directed by David K. Irving, written by M. Kane Jeeves and stars Brian Robbins, Tricia Leigh Fisher and Bianca Jagger.-Plot:...
(1989) - Last Party 2000 (2001, a documentary film about the 2000 U.S. Presidential election)
- The Fourth Revolution: Energy (2011 German documentary)