African Activist Archive

The mailing says few South Africans can speak with more authority about the need for sanctions than Walter Sisulu; one of the longest serving political prisoners of apartheid, he spent over a decade of his 26 year sentence at hard labor in the lime quarry on Robben Island. The mailing says in June we helped Albertina Sisulu, his wife, the President of the United Democratic Front, deliver the same message to President Bush and leading members of the Senate and the House of Representatives; she too is an amazing person who raised a family of five while spending 16 years under virtual house arrest. The mailing says but in spite of these voices from South Africa, when I went to Capitol Hill last month Senators and Representatives told me that we should hold off for six months or a year to give the new South African President F.W. de Klerk a chance; worse, they also said that their constituents don't care about apartheid any more. The mailing says in 1990 we're going to prove that they're wrong about that; our Religious Action Network will create a powerful new voice for sanctions from Protestant, Catholic and Jewish congregations from coast to coast. The mailing says we've already made a good start: -- In Detroit 200 local pastors came together to pledge that their congregations will respond to the South African people's call for sanctions; they are developing a plan for concerted action. -- The Religious Action Network sponsored a major address on South Africa to the Virginia Conference of Ministers; as in Detroit, the hundreds of pastors in attendance pledged to keep working for sanctions until US investment in apartheid ends. -- In just the first year 110 congregations have joined the Network; each of these congregations will become a leading voice for sanctions and divestment in their local community. The mailing says this month the Religious Action Network held its first regional conference in New York for over 100 local religious leaders; in January Dumisani Kumalo, the Network Coordinator, will speak at the Martin Luther King Weekend which is expected to bring over 20,000 people to Savannah, Georgia. The mailing says as important as this work is, it is only one part of our constant effort to mobilize public support for sanctions and divestment; ACOA staff members continually crisscross the country to speak in local communities, testify before state or municipal legislatures, and meet with key public officials and civic leaders; in the last few months our staff members have traveled to 16 states, from Maine to California and Kansas to Texas. The mailing says we know from our experience that this is the kind of grassroots support which translates into action on Capitol Hill and in state capitols and city halls throughout America; your contribution helped us build this new and broader support for sanctions despite South Africa's censorship and propaganda. The mailing says contributions to ACOA are not tax deductible because we mobilize Americans to lobby for sanctions.

African Activist Archive

[Dear Friend of ACOA: I thought this note from George Houser, our Executive Director Emeritus, was so . exciting that I asked his permission to share it with you.]

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