On Tuesday morning, the state capitol lawn, littered with tents and college students from across California, became a refugee camp.
The simulated camp was part of a demonstration aimed at pushing legislation for the next step in what students and policy makers have developed into a nationwide Sudanese divestment campaign.
This was the second time students gathered in Sacramento to meet with legislators and policy makers regarding divestment from Sudan.
Today, the state assembly is expected to vote on a bill that would require California’s two largest pension funds – California Public Employees’ Retirement System and California State Teachers’ Retirement System – to withdraw funds from companies associated with the Sudanese government.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Assemblyman Paul Koretz, D-West Hollywood, joined the rally and visual representation of the situation in Darfur to show their support for the bill.
“We have a moral responsibility to stop these investments. By allowing our pension systems to invest in these companies, we may as well be committing genocide ourselves,” Koretz, the author of the bill, said in a statement.
The divestment campaign is part of an effort to put pressure on the Sudanese government to end fighting in Darfur, as it has been charged with perpetuating the violence in the region.
Since the beginning of the conflict three years ago, hundreds of thousands of civilians have been killed and even more displaced in Darfur. The situation has been called a genocide by the U.S. government, and recently the conflict has spread to neighboring Chad.
There are currently dozens of divestment proposals in progress at universities and cities throughout the country, said Adam Sterling, co-chairman of the Sudan Divestment Taskforce.
The UC Sudan Divestment Taskforce, which was comprised of students and advocates from colleges and universities across the state, began working on a UC divestment campaign last year. Their efforts grew into a nationwide movement after the UC Board of Regents voted to divest in March.
Small divestment campaigns across the nation joined forces after the UC’s decision to divest, Sterling said.
“There were ongoing campaigns in a number of other universities and states throughout the country, but it was more of a hodgepodge; all the universities and states were doing different things, there was no coordination,” he said.
The UC’s divestment plan, developed by the task force, was unique because it focused on withdrawing funds from companies that met certain criteria.
Under the plan, companies that provide extensive revenue to the Sudanese government and do not provide benefits to civilians or humanitarian organizations in the region will be targeted for divestment.
The current bill on state divestment is modeled after the UC’s targeted divestment plan.
Task force members have been working with Koretz and members of the CalSTRS and CalPERS boards to create a divestment plan that will please all parties involved, said Karina Garcia, legislative director of the Sudan Divestment TaskForce.