This call to action comes from the students of Divest Middlebury.
UPDATE: Check out the campuses who have signed on below this call to action.
Friends,
We are writing to you as students that have been told by our administrations that our colleges and universities will not be divesting from fossil fuels.
This doesn’t mean, however, that the fight is over. Many of us expected a no, recognizing that the majority of campaigns won’t receive a yes with their first ask. We know the history of the apartheid divestment movement and have heard the stories of successful environmental and justice struggles on our campuses.
We know that hearing ‘no’ is just a sign we need to escalate our tactics. ‘No’ is the motivator we need to build our power until there’s no option but ‘yes’. We won’t stop until our campus has divested from fossil fuels.
But we also don’t have endless time. As Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, “In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late.” While our universities stall, people continue to suffer from environmental racism and injustice, and the climate crisis grows more dire. At this particular historical moment, we have a great responsibility. We must shake our communities out of the status quo, because we cannot afford to be late.
Students are returning to their campaigns and moving forward beautifully, creatively and thoughtfully. Let’s share our stories, call friends at other campuses and meet up at Power Shift and regional convergences.
Will you join us this semester to take our campaigns to the next level — to organize, to escalate, and in the end, to win? Let’s fight for justice and the communities we love.
In Solidarity,
Divest Middlebury
(and)
Hamilton College Divestment Campaign
Fossil Free Minnesota: University of Minnesota
Divest Dartmouth
CSSC Chico and CSSC Butte
Divest Brandeis
Divest Boston University
Fossil Free MIT
Divest Harvard
Tufts Divest for our Future
Northeastern University
Boston College Fossil Free
Divest UMass Amherst
Mt. Holyoke College Divest
Swarthmore Mountain Justice
Kyoto Now! Cornell University
If you’re planning to build the pressure on your campus with student action this semester, email Jenny@350.org to endorse this call to action.