From foreign policy and social injustices to energy, divestment is a method of social activism that attempts to engage people on an array of issues through financial “protests.” But like most divestment campaigns, the true impacts are misunderstood by activists, and often result in unintended financial consequences.

One such campaign is the international economic movement against Israel, which is calling for boycotts, divestments, and sanctions (BDS) against the country. Operating since 2005, the BDS Movement is hoping to exert economic … Read More

As a reaction to the recent divestment movement that is pushing for public pensions and universities to divest certain stocks that are not socially acceptable, the University System of Maryland Foundation (USMF) announced on June 30^th that they would stop investing in fossil fuel companies. But the reality of this statement is quite different than it looks. In a recent guest column in The University of Maryland’s Independent Student Newspaper¸ The Diamondback, Josh Wilson took a deeper dive … Read More

Despite efforts from activists, divestment action is facing hurdles as more and more people realize the penalties of divesting funds from reliable and firm investments. In fact, people – from university board members to civil servants – are recognizing the critical position any divestment action would put on the future of their portfolio and are starting to take action against this social movement.

To shed some light on a civil servant’s view, Siskiyou County Sheriff Jon Lopey recently joined our … Read More

Coalition member and San Francisco Hispanic Chambers of Commerce President, Carlos Solórzano, recently wrote a letter to the editor at the San Francisco Chronicle voicing his frustration with the divestment movement and its impact on pension funds. His irritation specifically stems from divestment action by the Oakland Police and Fire System, which has been inquiring into the social action instead of focusing on their responsibilities to the pension holders. In fact, as Solórzano points out, by divesting from steady and … Read More