Let's get a divestment campaign going:
***** --- Original Message --- From: Amna Arshad <amna_jerusalem at yahoo.com> To: msa-net at msa-natl.org Date: 6/26/01 7:42:15 AM
Hdate: Tuesday 4 Raby` al-THaany 1422 A.H. Number: msa-net/26Jun01/ <message length: 72 lines> Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah
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Holding the University Accountable: Divesting from Israeli Apartheid October 12-14, 2001 Sponsored by Students for Justice in Palestine - UC Berkeley
Dear campus activists,
As the situation in Palestine worsens, it becomes increasingly important for activists in the United States not only to draw attention to the daily atrocities committed by the state of Israel, but also to hold institutions in the United States responsible for their seemingly limitless supply of support and resources for the occupation forces in Palestine. Because of the distances that separate our schools, there are too few opportunities to collaborate in and develop strategies that we can use collectively.
To this end, the Students for Justice in Palestine at UC Berkeley would like to invite you to a conference entitled, "Holding the University Accountable: Divesting from Israeli Apartheid," to be held October 12-14, 2001 on the UC Berkeley campus. It is our hope that this conference will bring together campus activists from across the country and facilitate the necessary discussions to develop a far-reaching strategy.
Giant institutions with vast resources, colleges and universities across the United States invest in several companies with direct financial and military ties to the state of Israel. In the 1980s, the movement against apartheid in South Africa gained momentum on college campuses by drawing attention to similar investments and the role that they played in propping up apartheid.
It is our hope that something similar can be accomplished now, in the struggle to liberate Palestine.
This conference will serve as a vehicle to facilitate conversation, enable educated debate, and formulate concrete strategies to contribute to the fight against Israeli apartheid. Activists from Berkeley will share their experiences in building a movement for divestment at Berkeley, but we invite all suggestions, comments, concerns, and ideas in an open discussion about how to move the student movement forward in this country.
This is a preliminary announcement. A registration packet and more information will soon follow this letter. But in the meantime, if you are interested in registering or have questions, please feel free to email us at justiceinpalestine at visto.com
Sincerely,
Students for Justice in Palestine - University of California at Berkeley *****
Yoshie