Monday, Sept. 25 was a historic day. Governor Schwarzenegger
took action against the genocide in Darfur, Sudan by signing AB
2941 (Koretz-D) and AB 2179 (Leslie-R).
The first bill adopts a targeted and strategic divestment policy
for California’s pension funds. The second protects the UC
Board of Regents from any liability that may result from the March
16 decision to divest from Sudan and allows the UC to proceed with
the divestment process.
This legislation is more than a symbolic gesture. It is designed
to put economic pressure on companies operating in Sudan that are
complacent to the genocide and, more importantly, to put economic
pressure on the Sudanese government so that they will be
economically inclined to end their murderous campaign in the Darfur
region that has already claimed 450,000 lives.
California’s divestment will be an example and a catalyst
to other divestment efforts across the country. If other pension
systems, states, universities and cities adopt a targeted
divestment policy, the impact will be magnified and impossible to
ignore.
The UCLA Darfur Action Committee remains committed to exerting
other forms of pressure against this genocide, which has severely
worsened over the summer months.
The DAC’s overall goal is to take strong, effective and
united nationwide action to help protect the people of Darfur and
end the genocide.
As UCLA students, administrators, faculty, staff and community
members, we must continue to put pressure on our representatives at
the local, state and national levels; we must pressure President
Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Andrew Natsios (special
envoy for Darfur) and Kofi Annan to take strong action and push for
the deployment of a strong UN peacekeeping force to save hundreds
of thousands of lives.
The time to protect is now.
Garcia is a steering committee member of the Darfur
Action
Committee. She is a fourth-year international development
studies and Chicano studies student.