.- .. .- HARVARD AND ·. · · . ..,. SOUTH AFRICA ~~~ - ~ - '..J ~· 'E i:" "0 . ..c: ' •~- u..;;: ~ 9 ;., ..c ~ 0 0 .c c. Harvard and' South Africa South Africa has become an issue that the engage students in any serious discussion of the People reading President Bok's "Reflections on Hal!Vard community can no longer-avoid. United issues. The administration, like the ACSR, chose to Divestment of Stock" are faced, roughly speaking, States corporations have invested $1.7 billion in ignore the views of a large segment of the Harvard with two possible interpretations: that country, and U ;S: banks have lent well over $2 community. billion to its white minority government. The facts As a result of the administration's insensitivity, [J] The entire anti-apartheid movement, show that this money in South Mrica does more to , American Indians at Harvard, the Asian American including virtually all black South African support the brutal exploitation of the black Association, the Black Students Association, the - organizations and leaders; is sadly mistaken in its majority than to end it. Harvard University, Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee, La views ofhow to overcome apartheid. President Bok . through its $350 million invested in these banks and Organizacion, Raza, and SASC formed the United has a far deeper u,nderstanding of whai is in the corporations, participates in this exploitation. .Front, which sponsor~ educatioriill activities, interests of South African blacks. He has chosen to. If Harvard University is to have any sort of moral rallies, and demonstrations during the weeks use his immense prestige and his debating talents io integrity, it imist do more than issue statements around the Corporation decision. criticize the anti-apartheid movement in order to deploring apartheid. It must therefore cease being On Monday, April24, 1500 students gathered at contribute constructively to anti-rtu;ist efforts by an investor. in apartheid. · It must add its voice Pusey Library near the Corporation building to warning misguided people away from .an erroneous through action to. the growing international await the decision-but the administration course. condemnation of the South African regime. The announced that they were delaying the decision for [2] President Bok is much more concerned about most morally responsible and effective action for several days. Released that Thursday, the report the ~nti-apartheid movement as a threat to his Harvard would be to divest itself, with a public rejected even t~e ACSR's mild ~ecommendation running of ihe University than he is with apartheid J explilDf!tion, of all stocks and bonds in those that Harvard sell its stock in banks that loan money itself as an affront to the values that Hqrvard corporations and banks until they cease their to the South African goverri-ment-. More ·should standfor. For this reason he directs all ofhis operations in South Africa. importantly, Harvard refused to call for corporate efforts against the anti-apartheid movement; not Many concerned members of the Harvard withdrawal until the ACSR had conducted its against apartheid. He sees his job as qfund-raiser, community, including students, faculty, alumni lengthy case-by-case· review. and his priority as preser~ation of good relations' and workers, support this demand for total Io indignation, 3500 students marched through with irif/uentia/ businessmen. His "reflections" on divestiture. This pamphlet presents the facts which the streets of Cambridge in a United Front­ South Africa are nothing but sophistries. brought us to our conclu~ions, and we hope that sponsored torchlight paraoe, and several hundred you consider them carefully. Only the mass of the students spent that night and the next day blocking Most people seem to find the second members of this community can direct Harvard the steps of and closing Unive·rsity Hall to protest interpretation more plausible than the. first. University to meaningful action. We hope that you Harvard's failure to take any effective action. join us. The Need for Action Protests in 1978 confront~d the administration The first blatant example of bad faith came only with the issue of South Africa, and forced it to take two days after the Corporation's report and the some action. Yet the administration's bad faitJl wc;:ek of protest. ·The Corporation ignored the .undermined even the minimal concessions it made. ACSR 's recommendations to vote for shareholder The policy of the Harvard Corporation (President resolutions calling for withdrawal-of Motorola and Bok and six Fellows) has been short-sighted, 3M. Both manufacture products for the South evasive, and ultimately deceitful. African pQlice. The Corporation abstained, Student Action claiming that the four designated members could In the fall of 1977, students formed the Southern not meet in time to make the decision. Africa Solidarity Committee (SASC) to educate · Equivocation became deceit when the the community about Southern Africa and to Corporation, one month after issuing its report, protest Harvard's South 1 Africa-related bega:n quietly buY-ing bonds in Manufacturers investments. At that tinie, stu~ents put forward the Hanover Trust and other banks who have publicly minimal demands that" Harvard end its most stated that they will continue to make loans to the blatant form of support for apartheid by divesting South African government. The report had said itself {}f stocks and bonds in banks that loan money · that Harvard would not buy bonds in such banks. to the South African government, and that Actions speak louder than words. -· Harvard call, through shareholder resolutions, for , The Response the withdrawal qf all U.S. corporations from South Pressure from thousands of merrtbers of the Africa. Harvard community fc;iced the seven members of 3200 students signed a petition supporting these the Harva·rd Corporation tO confront the issue of demands and 76 campus organizations, including invest~ent in South Africa. As it has in its dealings all 13 House Committees, endorsed them. with minorities, workers and Cambridge residents, Educational activities continued throughouL the the Corporation again exhibited callousnes~. winter and spring. Stronger pressure is necessary if.t_he Corporation is Despite weekly informational pickets of their not to continue to ignore the facts of corporate ~eetings, the Advisory Committee on Shareholder presence in South Africa and evade the University's Responsibility (ACSR) rejected students' demands moral responsibilities. for action. Instead, the ACSR recommended a Harvard must use its position as a major investor lengthy case-by-case review of each of Harvard's and prestigious university to add its voice to the South Africa-related investments, a~guing ·that struggle for majority rule and the end of racial "progressive labor practices" could somehow oppression. Harvard must divest. Join us. outweigh the many forms of support that all ~orporations give the white minority regime. Engelhard· . 400 students. protested the shortcomings of the Why South ·Africa? · The Engelhard Library is another iliustration of Harvard's ACSR report, and an angry confrontation between Among all the oppressive countries in the world, South Ainca ·willing'fiess to piace profit before principle. Chades Engelhard deserves our attention because: · was an American businessman who made a fortl!Jle in the South Third World students and members of the •No other society in the world relies so heavily ·an legalized African gold miniil!.industry, of which he controlled 15%: He Corporation outside Mass Hall demenstratc:d that racism to support its.sm:-ial, _economic, and political systems. was a vocal supporter· of the V orster regime and was the only students would not accept delay and inaction by -­ • A~erican corporations prefit from this legalized racism and foreigner to sit on the boards of two government agencies tha:t Harvard. provide crucial sup.port.to the w~ite minority government. recruited cheap black migrant labor to work the mines pnder The focus of protest then shifted to the • As a major investor in these corporations the Harvard horrifying conditions. Engelhard not· only directly benefitted ·Corporation is an accomplice _to-apartheid. from the apartheid ·system, but organized bank loans to save the Corporation, the body with the real power. But the •Black South Africans' struggle for freedom is reaching a Scuth African econorriy in the days after the Sharpeville students from many organizations who janime(l the critical· stage, and both nationwide and worldwide the Massacre in 1960. Corporation's open hearing April 10 found that movement against the South African govenirnent is gaining The Kennedy School of Government proposed to Engelhard's only three Corporation members bothered to show momentum. Withdrawing .foreign invt:stments now .can family foundation that it donate ~I million for~ Charles W, up; cine of them, President B.ok, only came after significantly contribute to the elimination of apartheid. Engelhard Public Affairs Library-without doihg the slightest '*Virtually every anti-apartheid organization in South Africa_ bit of checking'into Engelhard's background. students insisted that he be present. Despite their has called for the withdrawal of foreign corpomtions. One way 500 students demonstrated to demand the library be renamed professed commitment to "free and opefl debat~." we can. expreSs our sUpPQfl for the liberation struggle .is to put at the Kennedy School Dedication. As a result, the