Divestment, Race and Justice – A Luta Continua The Demand for Moral and Ethical Accountability at Columbia, 1985 to 2015

A Conversation between 1980s & Current Student Activists 
to Mark the 30th Anniversary of the 1985 
‘Free South Africa’ Blockade of Hamilton Hall

In 1985 Columbia’s campus exploded in protest demanding that the University respond to the years of agitation and organizing around Columbia’s investments in companies doing business in South Africa. This struggle began in the early 1980s and continued after 1985. The climax was a three week-long blockade that shutdown Hamilton Hall, made headlines around the world, and ultimately forced the University to divest. Harlem leaders joined the protest and Nobel Laureate Bishop Desmond Tutu sent a message of solidarity. 2015 marks the 30th anniversary of these historic events. Alums and many of those who participated in the Coalition for a Free South Africa and Concerned Black Students will return to campus to remember, reflect and exchange ideas with this generation of Columbia Prison Divest activists.

1:00 – 1:15 p.m.
Welcome by Professor Samuel Roberts, Director of Institute for Research in African-American Studies

1:15pm – 3:00pm
Panel 1: Reflections on the 1980s South Africa Divestment Movement and 1985 Blockade

• Daniel Armstrong, CC ’84
• Marcellus Blount, Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature, Columbia University
• Eric Hirsch, Retired Professor of Sociology, Providence College
• Rob Jones, Consultant and Activist, CC ’85
• Tanaquil Jones, Educator and Activist, GS ’86
• Barbara Ransby, Professor at University of Illinois and author, GS ’84
• Laird Townsend, Journalist, CC ’85
• Estela Vasquez, Vice President, Local 1199, SEIU

3:00 3:30
Break and slide show of 1980s campaign

3:30 – 5:00
Panel 2: Intergenerational Conversation with 2015 Columbia Prision Divest activists

1980s alum will be joined by 2015 activists for a moderated exchange about organizing at Columbia, the changing politics of university investments and accountability and divestment as a strategy for effecting change. Representatives of Columbia Prison Divest will participate.

5:00 p.m. Reception