The press release says April 15-16 was marked by coordinated student anti-apartheid protests and a national conference focused on divestment legislation sparked by the successful passage if bills divesting $300 million of public monies linked to South Africa in 1982. The press release says on April 15th and 16th protests were held at Harvard University, Amherst College, Williams College, Dartmouth College and Wesleyan University calling for divestiture if all stock-holdings linked to South Africa, and in Albany a community alliance targeted Caldors store for its sale of headwear made in South Africa. The press release says these actions were a direct outgrowth of a Northeast regional conference...
The press release says April 15-16 was marked by coordinated student anti-apartheid protests and a national conference focused on divestment legislation sparked by the successful passage if bills divesting $300 million of public monies linked to South Africa in 1982. The press release says on April 15th and 16th protests were held at Harvard University, Amherst College, Williams College, Dartmouth College and Wesleyan University calling for divestiture if all stock-holdings linked to South Africa, and in Albany a community alliance targeted Caldors store for its sale of headwear made in South Africa. The press release says these actions were a direct outgrowth of a Northeast regional conference organized by the American Committee on Africa (ACOA) in March. The press release says following this coordinated action, students at Harvard University initiated a hunger strike on April 18 in opposition to Harvard's investment of $490 million linked to South Africa and on April 27 a rally will be held to back up the demand for divestment. The press release says the Williams College Anti-Apartheid Coalition is supporting the Harvard demand with vigils through April 27 and organizers at Columbia University are holding daily vigils this week which will culminate in an April 26 rally demanding University President Sovern respond to the University Senate's unanimous vote for total divestment. The press release says on the very days of the April 15-16 coordinated student actions, a national Conference on Public Investment and South Africa was held in Boston that together legislators from 23 states where divestment legislation has been introduced. The press release says the conference was organized by ACOA and Mass Divest, the state-wide coalition responsible for the passage of a bill divesting all Massachusetts pension fund money linked to South Africa. The press release says the legislators assembled there formally called on all U.S. schools to divest their funds linked to South Africa and also joined the student movement in condemning the Sullivan Principles--a code for corporate conduct in South Africa that has been used as a rationale for continued investment there. The press release says in addition, the legislators fully supported the campaign to save six condemned members of the African National Congress of South Africa (the ANC Six), a campaign that has been a major focus of student organizing this spring--marked by a protest outside the South African Mission to the United Nations of 2000 people on April 6. The press release says to consolidate the gains made in anti-apartheid organizing this spring the ACOA has organized a Northeast Regional Conference for Saturday April 30 12PM-6PM at Amherst College in Converse Hall (Amherst, Mass). The press release says the major focus will be planning for coordinated student divestment protests at upcoming commencement exercises in May.
