The mailing says Nelson Mandela was released from more than 27 years in prison in February 1990; he immediately appealed for continued international sanctions and repeated his call when he came to the U.S. last year since then a number of cities have adopted or strengthened their anti-apartheid legislation, including New York, Los Angeles and Detroit; in 1990, two new states, Hawaii and Virginia, adopted divestment policies. The mailing says action by states and cities to increase support of the democratic movement in South Africa is especially important at this time; it can help counterbalance White House moves to ease sanctions; the Bush administration, like the Reagan administration before...
The mailing says Nelson Mandela was released from more than 27 years in prison in February 1990; he immediately appealed for continued international sanctions and repeated his call when he came to the U.S. last year since then a number of cities have adopted or strengthened their anti-apartheid legislation, including New York, Los Angeles and Detroit; in 1990, two new states, Hawaii and Virginia, adopted divestment policies. The mailing says action by states and cities to increase support of the democratic movement in South Africa is especially important at this time; it can help counterbalance White House moves to ease sanctions; the Bush administration, like the Reagan administration before it, is hostile to sanctions against apartheid; this March, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Herman Cohen praised U.S. companies that "stayed in South Africa despite the many obstacles, such as state and local measures against them"; there are increasing indications the administration will soon try to lift federal sanctions; the South African government has sent a new "liberal" ambassador to the United States, Harry Schwarz, to actively lobby for the end of sanctions. The cover letter says enclosed is a briefing paper, State and Municipal Governments Take Aim At Apartheid, which provides an overview of the achievements of the campaign and includes a list of states, counties and cities that have taken economic action against apartheid. The mailing includes a newspaper article "US 'people's sanctions' increase disinvestment" by David Braun. The mailing discuss the 1986 Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act (CAAA), the ANC (African National Congress), President de Klerk, the Investor Responsibility Research Center (IRRC), COSATU, the South African Council of Churches, the Mass Democratic Movement, selective purchasing, J.P. Morgan, American Depository Receipts (ADRs), the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union (ACTWU), State Representative Bryon Rushing, Dell Corporation, Xerox Corporation, Shell, Governor Jim Florio, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, IBM, South African Ambassador Harry Schwarz, bank loans, divestment actions, Chase Manhattan, the Bank of New York, Continental Bank Corporation, and the New York City Employees Retirement System (NYCERS).
