African Activist Archive

Contents: I. POLITICAL ACTION (Chris Root) • (1) TIAA-CREF • (2) Opposition to Administration and Congressional Efforts to Aid UNITA and RENAMO • II. THE NEWSLETTER (Bill Derman) • III. MEMBERSHIP (Ed Ferguson) • IV. FINANCES (David Groff) • V. RESEARCH COMMITEE (Ann Seidman) • MISCELLANEOUS GENERAL BUSINESS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE FLOOR • Root reported about recent actions by the TIAA-CREF Board regarding companies with investments in South Africa. The new chief executive officer, Clifton Wharton, has called on companies to withdraw from South Africa, but he remains opposed to divestment. Petitions with 7,000 signatures that advocate divestment have been sent to the TIAA-CREF board so far. TIAA-CREF board member Donna Shalala appears to generally support the campaign. Regarding U.S. aid to UNITA, ACAS collected 650 signatures on the petition opposing U.S. aid to UNITA. However, Congress approved funding for UNITA, and now there is a move to provide similar assistance to RENAMO in Mozambique. ACAS is one of the few groups that can provide leadership and information about lusophone African countries. The recent announcements by GM and IBM of their plans to disinvest from South Africa raise questions concerning our criteria for assessing the nature and level of corporate involvement in apartheid. Bill Minter said the basic issue remains whether a company's involvement bolsters the regime. SWAPO and ANC are concerned about the failure of the international arms embargo; some Stinger missiles sent to UNITA via South Africa inevitably end up in the hands of the South African Defense Force. Ideas for next year's panels include: regional destabilization by South Africa, the role of churches in the struggle in southern Africa, teaching about Africa at the secondary school level, and rightwing political networks active on southern Africa. A one-hour memorial meeting for Samora Machel and others killed in the recent airplane crash in is scheduled for November 1. The minutes also mention the Zimbabwe cooperative movement, Willard Johnson, Candice Goucher, Carol Thompson, Jim Mittelman, Pearl Marsh, Betsy Schmidt, Kassahun Checole, Robert Cummings, "Americans Against Apartheid," David Wiley, UC Faculty Against Apartheid, Kenneth Simmons, Marylee Crofts, Bill Pruitt, Bud Day, Immanuel Wallerstein, the Peace Corps, Zaire, Sharon Sopher, AIDS, and OXFAM.

African Activist Archive

MINUTES OF THE ACAS GENERAL BUSINESS MEETING Madison, WI, Inn on the Park, October 31, 1986

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