African Activist Archive

Contents: DIVESTMENT PACE SNOWBALLS • KWANZAA GREETINGS 1985 • SANCTIONS: BLACK SUPPORT GROWS • INSTANT DIVESTITURE • LUTHERANS OBJECT • POLLS SHOWS BLACKS OPPOSE BOTHA'S 'COLLABORATORS' • The newsletter reports on a national conference on municipal legislative action against apartheid on October 11-12 organized by the American Committee on Africa (ACOA). It was modeled on similar meetings in 1981 and 1983 coordinated by ACOA Projects Director Dumisani Kumalo. The newsletter says 11 states, 36 cities, and four counties had acted to divest nearly $5 billion from U.S. corporations in South Africa. The recently-enacted New Jersey bill was the culmination of a three-year effort by Assemblyman Willie Brown and a coalition of church, union and community groups; divestment proponents had feared that Republican Governor Kean would veto the bill under pressure from the White House. The newsletter says black South Africans overwhelmingly support international economic sanctions against South Africa. The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) announced on October 2 that it will immediately sell $7 million of investments in companies with ties to South Africa. The Lutheran Council in the U.S. has voiced formal opposition to proposed U.S. aid to the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA). A Sunday Times poll of urban areas shows a big majority of South African blacks reject the idea of working within the present structure of black urban councils and homeland governments. When presented with a list of candidates for president, 49% of blacks supported imprisoned African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela; second, with 24%, was Bishop Desmond Tutu. The leader of the Kwazulu homeland, Chief Gatsha Buthelezi, received a surprisingly low vote of only 6%. The newsletter discusses President P.W. Botha, the National Party, racial reform, the African National Congress (ANC), a Sunday Times opinion poll, MPLA, Jose Eduardo dos Santos, human rights violations, Douglass Smith, and South African occupation of Namibia.

African Activist Archive

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Rights Management