Fossil Free UC secures coal and tar sands divestment victory

BREAKING NEWS!
UC DIVESTS DIRECT HOLDINGS FROM COAL AND TAR SANDS

What began in 2008 has culminated in an important campaign victory. For several years, the California Student Sustainability Coalition’s student, alumni, and staff leaders have addressed the issue of unsustainable and unethical fossil fuel investments in the University of California (UC). Having first explored responsible investment frameworks and continuing with an initial exposé on the UC’s investments in the top ”filthy 15” coal companies, the campaign evolved to demand divestment from ALL fossil fuels. After years of strategic campaigning and dedicated student organizing, the Fossil Free UC campaign has reached an incredible milestone:

Late Wednesday afternoon on September 9th, the University of California’s Investment Office announced that it has divested $198 million of the university’s nearly $100 billion portfolio from coal mining and oil companies focused on tar sands extraction. This was in addition to their commitment of implementing sustainable investing criteria across their investment portfolio.
At the UC Regents’ Committee on Investments meeting, Chief Investment Officer Jagdeep Bachher outlined: “We’ve gone one step further as part of our housekeeping and managing risks over the course of the year, and selling our direct holdings, to reiterate, in coal mining companies, oil sands focused companies.” This announcement comes just one week after the California State Legislature passed a bill requiring CalPERS and CalSTRS, the nation’s largest public pension funds, to divest from thermal coal stocks.

While we applaud their decision, let us not forget that student leadership was the fundamental impetus and catalyst for this victory.

 

The university administration has not acknowledged students as the reason they have divested from coal and tar sands. Having campaigned for 3 years - and cultivating political and organizing roots for longer- the UC’s decision followed in response to sustained student pressure, including powerful escalation this past spring across the country at a dozen schools including UC Berkeley, Harvard, Bowdoin and Swarthmore.

Please support the critical work of this on-going campaign by making a contribution to the California Student Sustainability Coalition

 

Yesterday’s divestment announcement came through the university’s Framework for Sustainable Investing, which was a product of a task force charged with investigating divestment last summer after responding to students’ pressure. “This is a hard-fought victory for students and our allies from across California who have been demanding the UC truly live up to its big talk on climate change,” said Jake Soiffer, an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley and leader with Fossil Free UC.
In the last three years, the Fossil Free UC campaign has passed student government resolutions supporting divestment at all ten UC campuses, as well as graduate student and faculty association resolutions at Berkeley, and support from the UCSB Academic Senate. This year, students ramped up the campaign through a series of coordinated protests across the UC campuses—including an overnight sit-in outside the chancellor’s office at UC Berkeley.
Despite student pressure, the regents are still profiting off of the oil and gas industries, which are major polluters in California. According to Soiffer, “This is a much needed first step, but oil and natural gas are the most powerful polluters in California, and we expect the UC to take robust action on the biggest climate villains in their backyard.”
Though the announcement is not accompanied by an official policy statement, students see this as a permanent shift in the operations of the investment office. “This is a big deal, and an important first step that takes $200 million away from companies like Peabody — but we need our schools to take a stance against Exxon and Shell too. They’re every bit as responsible for the climate crisis.” said Alden Phinney, undergraduate student at UC Santa Cruz and organizer with Fossil Free UC.
Fossil Free UC will continue pushing the UC to divest fully, including oil and gas, and reinvest that money back in the hands of communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Victoria Fernandez, recent UC Berkeley graduate and organizer with Fossil Free UC, shared, “If the regents are serious about climate solutions that means not just divesting from fossil fuel companies, but investing in a just transition away from fossil fuels and towards the non-extractive economy. There is no stopping this movement. We have glimpsed a future of dignity, justice and sustainability, and we are determined to make it real.”

 

Silver Hannon, California Student Sustainability Coalition’s Fossil Free UC Campaign Director and recent UC Berkeley graduate, underscores the call to action in this moment, “Our university has said they agree we must combat climate change but disagree on the means to do so. Because of the urgency of our fight, we need to use all the tools we have to fight for climate justice. We are pushing full force to demand the UC fully divest its holding from fossil fuels and reinvest in community-based solutions for a just and livable future. Was this a huge victory? Yes. Does this mean we will rest on our laurels? Absolutely not.”
Many students who have worked on this campaign were introduced to it through the California Student Sustainability Coalition. If you would like to be part of this evolving campaign please contact CSSC’s Fossil Fuel Divestment Campaign Director, Silver Hannon.

 

Divestment is a tactic for a much deeper struggle for climate justice; it is our vision to utilize the UC system’s position and resources to exhibit the values and models that are essential to cultivating a truly regenerative society and equitable economy.

Please consider making a contribution to the California Student Sustainability Coalition to support our long term vision for climate justice.

What’s Next
This Fall there are two opportunities to engage and push this campaign forward:
On November 6th-8th CSSC will be hosting a special Fall Leadership Retreat open to anyone and everyone who would like to shape the future of the organization. Divestment is one very powerful focus of CSSC; this is an opportunity to learn about more ways to engage with our statewide community of organizers and to build deep relationships with likeminded people.

On October 9th-11th in Berkeley, CA the Divestment Student Network and California Student Sustainability Coalition are co-hosting a California Fossil Fuel Divestment Convergence! We want to support students who are running active fossil fuel divestment campaigns by providing in-depth training, building a regional network, and getting used to relational organizing. We hope to ground the work we do on our campuses in principles of solidarity, environmental justice, and in our relationships to frontline communities. Learn more about the tactic of divestment and see how we can play our part in the climate justice movement. We encourage women, people of color, queer/trans self-identified, low-income, undocumented, and/or people with disabilities to attend. Come be a part of the network and get trained! The deadline to register is September 11th, 2015 To register, please contact your campus lead, who will provide you with the registration form.

 

In community,

Fossil Free UC Students, Alumni, and Staff members
California Student Sustainability Coalition

In Recognition of the Charleston Shooting

On Wednesday, June 17th in Charleston, South Carolina, nine black people were brutally murdered by a white, male shooter. They were attending weekly prayer services at Emanuel AME Church, one of the oldest black churches in the South and an important community space serving the black community for over 100 years.

This heinous, racially motivated act of violence stole nine beautiful lives. They, who welcomed the shooter into their sanctuary, are at the core of why we are writing this letter. Alongside their beloved community, we mourn and honor the lives taken by a violent act of white supremacy.

Rest in love and peace

Rev. Clementa Pinckney, 41

Cynthia Hurd, 54

Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, 45

Tywanza Sanders, 26

Myra Thompson, 59

Ethel Lee Lance, 70

Susie Jackson, 87

Daniel L. Simmons, 74

Depayne Middleton Doctor, 49

You can read their biographies and watch this video of a prayer delivered by one of the victims, Pastor Clementa Pinckney in 2013, to learn more about their lives. The powerful history of this church is rich and inspiring, please take some time to read more here.


Call to Action

Sign this card

Sign this card to share your support with the survivors and family members of those killed. They will be delivered in-person to the community.

Donate

The Mother Emmanuel AME Church, whose 9 members were murdered, needs your support to cover the funeral costs for the victims and counseling services for their families. Please give to support the well-being of these families. It is important to remember that mental health has always been at stake for black people. Part of extending our compassion and our solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter is to support the healing of black communities that have been deeply and eternally disrupted by white violence.

Write

As we have seen time and time again, mainstream media misrepresents events involving race continually. Media is one of the pillars that uphold structural racism and white supremacy, and it is too often used to condone white violence. It is vital for the truth to be written and shared, although more difficult to hear. Consider writing an op ed for a large paper, a blog post, etc. If you would like some support on how to do this, feel free to reach out to Emili Abdel-Ghany.

Educate Yourself

Part of what constitutes privilege is the ability to ignore the things that don’t affect you directly with little to no consequence. It is important to recognize how colorblind racism perpetuates these systems of oppression.

Colorblind Racism is a tendency within the sustainability community to leave out critical racial analysis in favor of emphasizing the oneness in all of humanity. Although it is important to see the beauty in our sameness, it would be wrong to ignore our differences. It would be wrong because we do not live in a world where all are equitably treated. It would be wrong because it would erase the diversity of our lives. In ignoring our differences, we ignore how the world treats us differently, and in our ignorance or “blindness,” we contribute to the unjust racist system we all still live in. This is called colorblind racism.

Hold or Attend Vigils

Thousands unite at prayer vigil at Charleston AME church. Find out where vigils in your community are taking place and show up, physically and emotionally. These moments of community and healing are important and necessary. They bolster our humanity and remind us that attacks on black lives should be relevant to our own. The issue of racial oppression should be taken on by white allies as well.

Participate as an ally in #BlackLivesMatter and associated actions

This is a video of a #BlackBrunch direct action that took place in April 2015 in Charleston, SC. The group, in unison with a multi-racial group, called upon the majority white room to stand up with them if they believe that Black Lives Matter. No one stood up. It is in white silence that white violence is allowed to fester. However, we must remain mindful of our privilege and of our position as allies and not take up or demand space that should be held by frontline communities.

Talk with your loved ones

It is essential for us to discuss this for what this tragedy was truly about: Structural racism and white supremacy in America. Too often, our self-education and frustration is kept to ourselves, and we choose to not discuss these issues for fear of “awkwardness” or not being eloquent enough to describe the complexity or scale of the issue. It is critical that we share because committing ourselves to isolation not only allows the dominant narratives that condone white violence to persist, it also affects our own capacity to be as fully human as we desire to be. It is critical that we share with those closest to us, the ones for whom these conversations are most difficult. If we remain in an echo chamber, we are not taking on the role that we are called upon. It is essential that we combat the media’s diluted presentation by having earnest conversations with each other. Through building authentic understanding at home and in our community, we can begin to build shared power around envisioning a just world.

Where CSSC stands

Racism is not a mental illness as it is often presented in media; it is a social construction. Racism pervades every corner of American society’s institutions, operating on a system-wide level to benefit white people while it disadvantages and oppresses people of color at large. We call this systemic or structural racism. The Charleston massacre was not the work of a rogue “madman” or “troubled young man.” Attributing these atrocious actions to mental instability is degrading to those who live and struggle with mental illness and stigmatizes them as ‘dangerous’ and ‘unstable.’ Furthermore, it recklessly misses the main point: this was an anti-black hate crime, the latest in a centuries-old tradition of white supremacy and white racist violence. The root causes of such white violence are structural racism and white supremacy — two sides of the same coin that mutually reinforce one another. Structural racism and white supremacy are not about individual acts. Rather, they are self-perpetuating systems of oppression that drive individuals’ behaviors to perpetuate and condone violence and inequity, preventing the United States from healing our centuries long racial trauma. To learn more about white supremacy and structural racism read this resource from the Catalyst Project.

While only one person was the shooter, the motivations of the crime extend far beyond his singular actions, his singular ability to access a gun, and this singular moment of violence. The motivations were rooted in the communities he was a part of, the socializations he received (as a white male), and in the silence of voices that allows white supremacy to persist.

Allies should be wary of attributing this incident to the problem of gun control. It is true that guns are incredibly easy to access and the U.S. has the highest rates of gun-related violence in the “developed” world. However, more importantly, these weapons are too readily used as a tool to maintain a racist society: by police, by the military, by white men in the US with racist or sexist manifestos. It must be said that white men commit 65-87% of mass shootings in the United States. (1, 2) Gun control is an important part of the conversation, but it cannot be separated from its role in maintaining white supremacy. To learn more about the racial history of gun control, read here.

It is in dismantling this system of oppression that progress will be made. White supremacy tells us not to talk about race and to ignore it, even as the Confederate flag flies over the SC state building and over houses, and as the streets are named after Confederate generals. White supremacy tells us that race is not relevant even though black folks are reminded of their own race every day. We must speak up. We must not remain silent.

Once we stop being silent, we must move beyond speech to action. CSSC works on climate justice campaigns, we work on sustainable food systems, we work to change systems and to change our everyday lives to be in line with our morals. In this effort, we cannot ignore structural racism. In the effort to create a more sustainable world, social justice must be at the forefront, otherwise we are contributing to oppression. Although we are founded on principles of holistic sustainability (equity, ecology, economy) we must work to place equity at the forefront of our work, on a personal and institutional level.

Deconstructing the use of the word “terrorist”

In this moment, our members are deconstructing the meaning and use of this word. Although we have not come to consensus on the ability to effectively repurpose the word or not, this conversation is incredibly important and ongoing. Ultimately we assert that the shooter is a “terrorist” who acted out of racist hatred, who used violence to promote white supremacy, and who stole the lives of nine black people who welcomed him into their space. These are some of our thoughts on the word:

  1. It is important to reframe the narrative often repeated in our society about white violence. White violence is rarely condemned nor denounced as much as other types of violence in our media. Riots and looting after a sports event are referred to by the media as “rowdy crowds.” However, a peaceful protest against systematic racial violence is referred to as a “riot” if one window is broken. Focus on the larger picture.
  2. Do not lump this act in with others that have been called acts of terror. Instead, let us see the real terror as that which comes from those who will violently maintain systems of oppression.
  3. People of color whose actions are criminalized are called words like “terrorist,” “thug,” and “rioter.” These words undermine people’s value in the eyes of society and stigmatizes the individual for making a violent or otherwise “wrong” choice. However, in the rare occurrence when a white person makes the news for their crimes or acts of violence, they are framed as “mentally ill” or “troubled” or “on the wrong path,” reinforcing their “inherent” value and implying less guilt.
  4. The word “terrorism” is often employed in this country to demonize the actions of people of color who are (often through desperate measures) resisting U.S. imperialism. We want to challenge that use of the word terrorism, and recognize that racially charged murders-heinous acts that are committed for racist political gain- are acts of terrorism.

On a final note, we would like to recognize the immense power that the relatives of the victims have shown. A great demonstration of this was in their extension of forgiveness to the shooter. Bethane Middleton-Brown, the sister of Reverend DePayne Middleton-Doctor said the following:

“And I just thank you on the behalf of my family for not allowing hate to win. For me, I’m a work in progress and I acknowledge that I’m very angry… But one thing DePayne always joined in my family with is that she taught me we are the family that love built … We have no room for hate. We have to forgive.”

This statement is incredibly powerful in its acknowledgment of her anger and in its capacity for compassion. What it is NOT is an absolution for this crime. What it is NOT is an excuse for us to remain idle. What it is NOT is a signal that their suffering is over. What it is NOT is peace. Their forgiveness is NOT ours to claim.

Black forgiveness of white violence is necessary for survival in a world that sees black people as less than human. It is necessary in order to continue to fight for justice. It is a call to action for non-black folks to fight with them. Do not let this statement of forgiveness be co-opted as an indication that this “is over with.” Our thoughts come from this great interview with Carvell Wallace, entitled “You’re Not Off The Hook: The White Myth Of Black Forgiveness.”

Who we are

This section is taken from a recent letter of solidarity written by CSSC to the organizers in Ferguson and our community.

We are a primarily and historically white, upper-middle class, educated, privileged group of organizers. We are not a monolith, however, and never have been. Although it has been a struggle to raise the voices of marginalized peoples even within our own leadership, we are making strides to do this within our own organization as well as the lives we touch. We are also a diverse group of minds, identities, backgrounds, and experiences. Those writing this statement are not all of the same identity but we also cannot speak for every affiliate of CSSC. Instead, as current or alumnus of CSSC who care deeply about this transition to incorporate social justice more heavily into our organizing, attempt to convey where we stand in the hopes that it will be a way for us not to remain silent and for others to begin to join the conversation and the fight for racial justice.

CSSC was founded on the three pillars of sustainability: equity, economy, ecology. Our Mission is to unite and empower California’s community of higher education to collaboratively and nonviolently transform ourselves and our institutions based on our inherent social, economic, and ecological responsibilities.

We have been the leading statewide student-run organization for California youth who are passionate about sustainability. Our convergences have been moving from the traditional focus on ecological and environmental stewardship toward a greater understanding and valuing of justice, uplifting economic transition and equity as the priority. We still very much value environmental and ecological stewardship but with recognition of the social and economic context of such issues.

For the last few years, we have been working actively toward embracing this intersectionality, heading up campaigns like Fossil Free UC and Students Against Fracking as explicitly justice-based campaigns working toward climate justice. In 2014, we started the first ever Solidarity Organizing Program. We strive to create an intentionally diverse space, lifting up organizers of color and those who identify as members of an oppressed community. Our organization is devoted to learning and developing our social and climate justice analysis, and we fully recognize the internal and external progress that needs to develop the radical inclusion of students dedicated to justice, equity, and sustainability.

Our work is inspired by groups such as the California Climate Justice Alliance, who paint this picture so well and help us to understand the crossroads of our work:

  1. “The tragic killing of so many young Black people, like Mike Brown, the environmentally-caused illnesses and death from disproportionate pollution in so many communities of color, and climate chaos are all linked by the same systems of racism and oppression.”
  2. “The fight for Black lives, racial justice and the incredible organizing of #FergusonOctober is inextricably linked to the fight for environmental justice & we stand in solidarity with everyone in Ferguson”.
  3. As a group with the word “sustainability” in its name, we recognize that if we are to be truly sustainable, we cannot ignore equity and justice. This is inherent to sustainability and inherent to building a safer, healthier, cleaner, more beautiful, and just world.

Continue the Conversation

If you are part of CSSC or would like to join the ongoing discussion of how various systemic oppressions intersect with our work, please reach out to Emili Abdel-Ghany: emabdel [at] ucdavis [dot] edu 310-744-5031

In community,
California Student Sustainability Coalition

 

Contributors:
Emili Abdel-Ghany, former Field Organizer

Shoshanna Howard, Campaign Director

Zen Trenholm, Development Director

Emily Williams, Campaign Director

Silver Hannon, Campaign Director

Alyssa Lee, former Field Organizer

Colin Murphy, CSSC Alumnus, Activist, Writer: Oakland, CA

CSSC In Solidarity with Ferguson

in solidarity with organizers in Ferguson and all on the frontline of racial injustice
DONATE ACTION AND SAFE SPACE SUPPLIES

“It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains.” - Comunique from Ferguson

On the evening of Monday, November 24th, 2014, the Grand Jury announcement on the Michael Brown and Darren Wilson case was released to the public. The deplorable ruling of “no indictment” for officer Darren Wilson, who shot and killed the unarmed black teen, is regrettably not a shock. This ruling is a reminder that the justice system favors those who abuse power and privilege to disempower those who are systemically positioned to endure the consequences of an extractive economy — a system that neglects to uphold a standard of justice based on racial equity, economic justice, and one that proactively works to dissolve the acts of oppression that have led us to this somber situation. With this announcement, the hearts we carry are both heavy and emboldened. As organizers and as humans, we are called to mobilize and recognize the intersection of not only our work, but our lives.

The California Student Sustainability Coalition recently hosted an incredible organizer, Julia Ho from Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment, at the Fall 2014 Convergence at UC Davis on November 14th-16th. Attendees were inspired to hear the call from organizers in Ferguson as well as racial justice and civil rights activists to work in solidarity with those on the ground in congruence with our current efforts. As a network of California youth working actively on sustainability and climate action, we recognize and affirm that our struggle and liberation is indelibly bound to the liberation of others. We cannot have climate justice or a sustainable planet without racial justice. Even further, our planet cannot be sustainable without an economy that reflects equity, without an ecology that reflects respect for all beings. Our movements must be intersectional because our lives are, our very identities are. As students we are fighting to escape undue debt and tuition hikes, fighting for a stable and livable climate, and fighting to transition away from an extractive economy. The injustices that Ferguson faces today are rooted in the same injustices that we fight here in California. Though we all feel their impacts differently, we have a moral duty to highlight these impacts and those who are the most vulnerable if we are to find justice. Most importantly, we need to recognize that we are part of the same struggle. If we want freedom from the fossil fuel industry, if we want freedom from tuition hikes, then we must also have freedom from oppression and racial injustice.

CSSC must stand with Ferguson in order to - together - resist these injustices and to - together - build the future we want and need to see. We also recognize that we are part of a larger community that holds a LOT of privilege, and although our membership and leadership is by no means monolithic, the very point of entry (a university or college) is from a place of privilege. Our struggles may or may not be the same but we are bound nonetheless.

CALL TO ACTION

Donate.

The main call to action that has been expressed to us is to Donate to www.fergusonaction.com/donate-supplies/. These donations will go towards supporting organizers on the ground in Ferguson for their daily needs for actions as well as providing support for safe space creation. You can also donate to other community wellsprings of support, such as the Ferguson Public Library. And here is a whole host of other ways to help!

If you’d like to learn about the Ferguson Action Information Hotline for people to ask any questions they have regarding actions. The voice recording will reflect the most up to date information: 314-329-7667.

Educate yourself.

There are plenty of resources out there to help clarify the fights that are happening. However, a good place to begin is with the organizers from Ferguson themselves. Please go to their website and read their Demands so you know what is being asked for.

Host or attend solidarity actions.

For those in California, there are several rallies, vigils, and marches to participate in and many of them are tied up in existing fights. If you can, speak with your body and use your time and energy to show your support.

Davis: Tuesday, November 25th, 6:00 PM, Davis Community Center, 412 C Street

Fresno: Tuesday, November 25th, 6:00 PM, Eaton Plaza, 2400 Fresno Street

Santa Barbara: Tuesday, November 25th, 6:00 PM, Santa Barbara Courthouse, 1100 Anacapa St

Other Actions: Facebook event here

2PM COMMUNITY FORUMS AND POSTER MAKING, Storke Tower

9PM CANDLELIGHT VIGIL, Pardall Center

Los Angeles: Tuesday, November 25th, 3:00 PM, Federal Courthouse, 312 North Spring Street (FB event here)

You can find more actions here.

Write something.

The media intentionally waited to release the deplorable ruling until night time so that any nonviolent direct action in response would look like a “riot” to viewers. We cannot trust the mainstream media moving forward. This is why it is essential that we tell it how it is, that we tell OUR story.

Not everyone can afford to put their bodies in this fight. Not all of us have the economic means to travel to a protest, the physical means to start one, the privileges to be at the mercy of police or legal authority. We may feel that we have little we can offer to Mike Brown’s family, to the stricken community of Ferguson, to Black citizens of this country. But at the very least, we all have words.

Sometimes, words are a mask to our costumes of comfort, promises borne empty by our privilege. We must be careful to not conflate letters of support with meaningful action. Words by themselves will not bring about justice, will not bring Darren Wilson to trial, will not mitigate the painful emptiness that a lost child leaves. They can be a shield against showing true solidarity or a spear thrown into the status quo. Now is not the time to stay quiet, to fear debate, to deny the judgment of your friends. For as many doubters and bigots there are, there are just as many unsure of where they stand, scared to out themselves, hesitant to speak up for Black lives. Do you believe your voice is meaningless in reaching out to them? For the unheard in this country who are battered with the voices of white rage, of systemic oppression, of an (in)justice system bent on preserving the status quo, your voice is far more important than your few judgmental Facebook friends.

With this, the next call to action is to please write to the grand jury, write a blog post, write a status update, even just write a tweet. Add to the fire in any way you can because though you may feel far, the flames will catch.

Lastly, we must write because we need to find ourselves in this movement. Some of us are white, some of us have always been upper class, some of us are settlers, some of us are undocumented. We all have stories of love and hate and privilege and oppression that inform our space in this very moment. We are all working to understand ourselves and what our personal and historical liberation must be. If your writing does nothing else, let it illuminate your path and bring clarity to your place in this fight against racial oppression and economic inequity. This is crucial not only to the movement but also to your own freedom of self. And the moment you know why you are fighting, you can be sure that there will be open arms to embrace you and link up with yours.

WHO WE ARE

CSSC was founded on the three pillars of sustainability: equity, economy, ecology. Our Mission is to unite and empower California’s community of higher education to collaboratively and nonviolently transform ourselves and our institutions based on our inherent social, economic, and ecological responsibilities.

We have been the leading statewide student-run organization for California youth who are passionate about sustainability. Our convergences have been moving from the traditional focus on ecological and environmental stewardship toward a greater understanding and valuing of justice, uplifting economic transition and equity as the priority. We still very much value environmental and ecological stewardship but with recognition of the social and economic context of such issues.

For the last few years, we have been working actively toward embracing this intersectionality, heading up campaigns like Fossil Free UC and Students Against Fracking as explicitly justice-based campaigns working toward climate justice. In 2014, we started the first ever Solidarity Organizing Program. At the Fall 2014 Convergence held at UC Davis just under two weeks ago, we reached out to speakers from several walks of justice-oriented work, from anti-sex trafficking to anti-deportation. We created an intentionally diverse space, lifting up organizers of color and who identify as being from oppressed minorities. We are far from perfect, and we recognize the progress that needs to be made and the trust that we must continually work toward building. However, we are no longer hesitant to take the steps that we can in opening up to all of our collective struggles.

We have been inspired by groups like the California Climate Justice Alliance who paint this picture so well and help us to understand the crossroads of our work:

“The tragic killing of so many young Black people, like Mike Brown, the environmentally-caused illnesses and death from disproportionate pollution in so many communities of color, and climate chaos are all linked by the same systems of racism and oppression.”-CA CJA

“The fight for Black lives, racial justice and the incredible organizing of #FergusonOctober is inextricably linked to the fight for environmental justice & we stand in solidarity with everyone in Ferguson”. CA CJA

As a group with the word “sustainability” in its name, we recognize that if we are to be truly sustainable, we cannot ignore equity and justice. This is inherent to sustainability and inherent to building a safer, healthier, cleaner, more beautiful, and just world.

 

TO CONNECT FURTHER

If you are either part of CSSC or want to connect with those interested in further efforts through CSSC please contact Emili Abdel-Ghany, Field Organizer for the Solidarity Organizing Program. Keep up to date on what’s happening in #Ferguson by calling the Ferguson Action Information Hotline for people to ask any questions they have regarding actions. The voice recording will reflect the most up to date information: 314-329-7667. You can also find up to date and accurate information on www.fergusonaction.com and follow the hashtags #JusticeforMikeBrown #BlackLivesMatter #HandsUpDontShoot

This moment is a historic one — Ferguson is everywhere– and we are building a movement for justice for Mike Brown and an end to police violence nationwide. Just like people have done throughout American history, we are making our voices heard, taking to the streets and using our first amendment rights to engage in strong actions of civil disobedience. The people of Ferguson have boldly faced tanks, tear gas and militarized police forces in their quest for justice. We call on you to stand with us and envision a future where the promises guaranteed under our Constitution are guaranteed to all, without exception.”

www.fergusonaction.com
In community,
California Student Sustainability Coalition

Contributors:
Emili Abdel-Ghany, Field Organizer for the Solidarity Organizing Program

Shoshanna Howard, Students Against Fracking Campaign Director

Simone Cardona, Council Co-Chair

Alyssa Lee, Field Organizer for Fossil Fuel Divestment

Jake Soiffer, Field Organizer for Fossil Free UC

Eric Recchia, Board of Directors Member

Emily Williams, Fossil Fuel Divestment Campaign Director

Henry Morse, Climate Delegate

Unique Vance, UCSB EAB Environmental Justice Chair

 

De Anza leads Community Colleges to Fossil Freedom

Students march for Fossil Freedom at Power Shift

Photo Credit: Ophir Bruck, Fossil Free UC

De Anza College Students are Leading the Way

While flipping through pictures from Power Shift this past weekend, thinking about strategy for building the inclusive movement we need to win this struggle in the long run, I was pleasantly surprised with some big news out of a relatively small school named De Anza college. For the first time in this nation, community college students effectively convinced their foundation to take a stand against the fossil fuel industry and divest its holdings from the top 194 fossil fuel companies with the largest carbon reserves.

De Anza College divests its endowment from fossil fuels.

Small but Significant Step towards Fossil Freedom

According to the Mercury Times article, the endowment at De Anza is only roughly $33 million, making such an act financially insignificant in the grand scheme of divestment. However, I believe this groundbreaking step is just the beginning for one of the largest and economically inclusive public education systems in the US. As a community college transfer myself, I was one of the millions of native and non-native Californians served by one of the more than 100 community colleges across the state open to folks from all walks of life and educational backgrounds. The California Community College system is now one step forward in our road to fossil freedom because of the De Anza Foundation leader’s decision to implement policy that supports aligning its investment practices with its responsibility to invest in a fossil free future for all people. My alma mater, whose appointed and hired leaders have continuously acknowledged the importance of climate change, but argue divestment is not the answer, could take some pointers from the De Anza Foundation members and move the University of California’s investments out of fossil fuels and into those companies that support our state and planet’s future.

For those at the UC who have argued divestment is not the way, I implore you to talk to the De Anza foundation or San Fransisco State University foundation and and ask how they did the math. You might find that investing in the fossil fuel economy is not the most prudent way forward given the vast array of alternatives to fossil fuels that don’t threaten our communities and species as a whole. Trained financial experts from firms like the Aperio Group and Impax have looked into the threats to fossil fuel stocks in the next decade and the variety of investment alternatives that outperform fossil fuels in national and international indexes, and their evidence suggests how marginal the risk to return on investment is without the top 194 companies. Given this evidence, several major pension funds in Europe and city commissions in the states like San Fransisco have called for inquiries into the costs and benefits of fossil free investing given the nature of the climate crisis. It is time for all Californian communities to follow De Anza’s lead and demand our institutions do the math. We must work together to harness the power of our affiliated institutions to collaboratively re-envision and grow our economy organically.

Divestment Moving Forward- from De Anza to the CSU and UC System

I dream of a day when community college students join together with alumni and demand the entire system be revitalized to support the transition to an economy reliant on people power and renewable energy. Rather than investing in fossil fuels and trying to generate returns to combat steady divestment from the state; maybe De Anza will lead the way in creating the broad and community-based green economy we need in California in order to prove resilient to the rapidly changing environmental, economic and political climate. Community colleges in California can provide the inclusive and comparably affordable education and tools necessary to create jobs in sustainable industries that will help propel California into a people-powered economy, versus one reliant on fossil fuel energy and systemic injustice.

De Anza is just the beginning of the Community College movement to go fossil free. After meeting with students at Butte community college last week for a divestment training, and hearing their excitement to build the movement across the California Community College System, I am inspired to see what happens next.