We, the students of DivestRISD, are overwhelmed with the amount of support we’ve received from across the country and on campus. Thank you for your kind and encouraging words as we voice our power as students in our act of civil disobedience. Yesterday brought RISD together around the topic of climate change; our message has been heard loud and clear: we don’t want our university investing in or profiting from the destruction of the planet. Around 150 students gathered in support outside the building we are occupying, and passionate professors rallied the crowd around the issues; we have never been so proud of our school. The response from the administration has been positive as we conducted ourselves with the utmost respect for our campus and its leaders. We had productive conversations with the Vice President of Finance, the Dean of Students, and the Provost, but still felt that we needed concrete commitments to be able to leave. We spent the night as a strong group, united under our message. Kind friends made lanterns outside, sat on the steps in solidarity, and brought us snacks and messages from the outside world. We know that we have changed the conversation around climate change at RISD, and possibly around the country. We stand with over 400 schools that are working to ensure our futures on this planet. Thank you for your support, and we hope to give you good news soon.
Yours in activism,
Divest RISD
