What is Divestment?
Divestment occurs when people sell off their investments in firms, industries, or countries to protest the social or political choices of those institutions. Divestment shows leaders that you’re morally or philosophically opposed to their policies and are willing to detach yourself from potential profit made from something you disagree with. For students, who do not necessarily invest directly themselves, the divestment movement is more about encouraging politicians and university heads to make political and social reforms in their investments.
What companies are operating in Sudan?
Divestment in the News
Learn more about targeted divestment from Sudan
Who Else Is Doing It?
Governments, universities, and even individual investors withdraw their money when they feel uncomfortable about the way it might be spent. There are active, student-run divestment campaigns at dozens of states, cities, and schools. Twelve states from California to Maine have already divested, and over twenty have initiated divestment campaigns. Many colleges and universities have also started to divest from companies doing businesses in Sudan, including the University of California, Stanford University, Duke University, Cornell University, MIT, Amherst College, Northeastern University, University of Wisconsin, University of Arkansas, and University of Illinois.
There are active, student-run divestment campaigns at dozens of states, cities, and schools. The following is a small, representative sample. If yours is on the list, contact the campaign to learn more and help out. If yours is not on the list, see below for “Starting a Divestment Movement on Your Campus or State.”
State of California
Wellesley College
State of Oklahoma & Oklahoma University
State of New York
State of Kansas & Kansas University
University of Chicago
State of Washington
University of Virginia
State of Ohio
State of Massachusetts
Start a Divestment Movement on Your Campus or State
Find out if your school or state is already considering divestment
Contact the Sudan Divestment Task Force to create a customized plan for your school or state
Get started on campus
Email your Senator
Kansas Senator Brownback follows his words with actions in Sudan divestment
“We can all make a difference in Darfur,” says U.S. Senator Sam Brownback and he and his family are doing just that by planning to withdraw hundreds of thousands of dollars of personal investments from companies that operate in Sudan. According to the Senator, “With so many lives at stake, we should do all we can to stop this genocide, both as individuals and as a community.”
Watch as the Senator takes his plan for Sudan to the classroom on mtvU’s Stand In.
Students & the Sudan Divestment Task Force Lead California’s Divestment
On Monday, September 25, 2006, Governor Schwarzenegger signed legislation that divested California’s three largest public shareholders from companies that fund genocide in Sudan. In the weeks leading up to the signing, student activists from across the state collected thousands of postcards, urging the Governor to sign AB 2941 and adopt a targeted divestment from Sudan for California’s public pension funds.
Congratulations to the students across the state of California who led this movement! Read below to find out how to start a divestment campaign on your campus or in your state, or join an existing movement.
UC Students Force Divestment
The University of California Sudan Divestment Taskforce
convinced the UC Board of Regents to divest from specific companies doing business in Sudan. The UC system is one of the largest public universities in the world with a $64 billion endowment and over $4 billion in foreign investments. The sheer size of the UC system, and the effort required to force change at an institution like this, made this a watershed moment in the Sudan divestment movement.
Photos of UC’s Divestment Efforts on Campus
Read UC Sudan Divestment Task Force Testimonies
Other Ways to Take Action
Contact your governor about passing state divestment legislation by calling the Anti-Genocide Hotline at 1-800-GENOCIDE. The hotline will directly connect you to your governor for free.
Read about how to approach your governor
Learn more about the Anti-Genocide Hotline
Screen your mutual funds to find out if there are any investments involved with Sudan.
Access the mutual fund screening tool at the Sudan Divestment Task Force
Harvard Darfur Action Group restarted when increase in Sudan investments discovered
The Harvard Darfur Action Group reconvened when students discovered that Harvard University had not withdrawn funds from PetroChina and Sinopec, both companies that do business in Sudan, despite previous statements indicating plans of divestment. In fact, students at the Harvard Crimson reported findings that Harvard’s holdings in these firms have actually increased since the divestitures were announced. Earlier, Harvard had earned international praise when they announced plans for divestment as they sparked a nationwide movement which was felt across the world in Sudan’s capital.
Read articles by the Harvard Crimson about their discovery.
Read about the Harvard Darfur Action Group’s plan on Bloomberg.com
