{"id":6589,"date":"2014-11-21T20:47:56","date_gmt":"2014-11-21T20:47:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gofossilfree.org\/usa\/?p=6589"},"modified":"2014-11-22T19:02:24","modified_gmt":"2014-11-22T19:02:24","slug":"november-divest-digest-look-out-divestment-is-spreading-far-and-wide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gofossilfree.org\/usa\/november-divest-digest-look-out-divestment-is-spreading-far-and-wide\/","title":{"rendered":"November Divest Digest: Look Out! Divestment Is Spreading Far and Wide"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the month of November comes to a close, the divestment movement expands their reach far and wide. New divestment campaigns are launching across the world, campuses who have received “no” from their administrations one time too many are taking their cases to court, and students in larger numbers than ever are showing up and\u00a0pressuring\u00a0everyone – from administrations to city councils – to divest, divest, divest!<\/em><\/p>\n

Whether in the Marshall Islands or the city of Boston, the student and community escalation is sending one clear message: \u00a0the divestment campaign is growing fast. And country borders, rejections, and changing political landscapes aren’t about to stop a movement whose time has come.<\/em><\/p>\n

FIVE GLOBAL CAMPUSES EXPANDING THEIR REACH<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. The College of the Marshall Islands Takes Steps to Divest<\/a><\/p>\n

This past month,\u00a0the College of Marshall Islands (CMI) in the Republic of Marshall Islands\u00a0began taking the first steps to commit to divest the college’s endowment from fossil fuels. Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner<\/a>,\u00a0Marshallese poet, writer, performance artist, and journalist participated in a campus divestment training and in collaboration with student groups and community groups called upon the Marshallese community and President Carl Hacker to rise as a community leader and divest.<\/p>\n

In Mr. Hacker’s own words:<\/p>\n

We need all of our friends and our colleagues in the Pacific Region and around the world to take note, spread the word and become leaders in this movement to divest from fossil fuels.\u00a0 It is critical that our voices and our actions are taken into account as we move forward in discussions concerning climate change and the formulation of policies that will preserve our islands, our histories, our cultures and our ways of life.<\/strong>\u00a0 The Pacific Region has to be a leading voice in raising this awareness and do whatever we can in our own home islands to walk the talk of divestment of fossil fuels and climate change.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Check this\u00a0out the\u00a0article<\/a> in\u00a0Marshall Islands Journal, explaining the\u00a0CMI’s plan to divest, and Kathy’s reflections on<\/p>\n

2. \u00a0Humboldt University Became the First State University to Move\u00a0Towards Full Fossil Fuel Divestment<\/a><\/p>\n

On November 20th,\u00a0Humboldt University took the steps to commit to full fossil fuel divestment, becoming the first state university to do so. Although the Humboldt State Foundation\u00a0has never included direct investments\u00a0in major fossil fuel investments, to move towards full divestment, they have decided to direct 10 percent of their portfolio to be shifted to green funds, reaffirmed that they want no direct investments in fossil fuels, committed to a new fund invested entirely fossil fuel free, and reinvested 10 percent of the portfolio into green funds with every new $500,000 donated.<\/p>\n

They state in their press release:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re a small school with a relatively small endowment, but we have a long history of leading in social responsibility, in particular, advancing change in environmental stewardship,\u201d said Heather Bernikoff-Raboy, an HSU<\/span> alumna who recently became Chair of the University\u2019s Advancement Foundation, which oversees the endowment. \u201cWe heard the students, we agree with them, and we are proud to have worked with them to get to this point.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\"Humboltmeme\"<\/a>\n

3. American University Stages Largest On-Campus Student Divestment Action \u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

American University staged one of the largest on campus student actions on November 19, 2014 telling the Board of Trustees that \u201cAmerican University students will rise before the seas do,\u201d in a strategic build-up strategy to presenting a proposal to their board to divest from fossil fuels \u00a0on November 21, 2014.<\/p>\n

Their words tell it best:<\/p>\n