Divestment Now! Symposium on the Anti-Apartheid Student Movement

In the spring of 1985, thousands of UC Berkeley students took to Sproul Plaza to demand the University divest from companies doing business in apartheid South Africa—the culmination of over a decade of organizing. Backed by faculty and staff, and particularly inspired by the bold actions of Bay Area labor unions, the movement shaped a generation of activists and connected UC Berkeley to the broader global struggle against apartheid.

Featuring Jeff Chang, Pedro Noguera, Andrea Prichett (panelists), and Rickey Vincent (tour leader) —students who were directly involved in the movement—the symposium will feature a panel discussion, collection viewing, and tours to create space to explore the stories, complexities, and nuances behind the anti-apartheid movement.

This event is free and open to the public. The panel discussion will be recorded.

This event is organized by The Bancroft Library, African American & African Diaspora Studies, and Ethnic Studies. This event is co-sponsored by the American Cultures Center, Asian American Research Center, the Office of the President of the Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC), the Center for African Studies, the Othering & Belonging Institute, the Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, the Mellon Foundation’s Affirming Multivocal Humanities Funds for Ethnic Studies, Palestinian & Arab Studies Program, and the Center for Race and Gender at UC Berkeley.