When we stormed the field of the Harvard year game in 2019, it was this huge galvanizing moment for the divestment movement nationally. I do think our legal complaint, which I helped write, was a very key turning point in winning divestment at Harvard and has since proven to be a really effective strategy at other campuses around the country. In 2021, Harvard admitted those investments in the fossil fuel industry were incompatible with the university's mission. It's now allowing its investments to expire.
From the Boston Tea Party to the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter, activists have long sought to bring pressing issues into the public consciousness. Climate activism is no different. This past Earth Day spawned a new ripple of climate activism. Activists protested at the headquarters of BlackRock in New York City, smeared paint on the casing around an Edgar Degas statue and even tried to block the entrance of the White House Correspondents dinner in DC. But that’s not the only style of activism that’s happening. Some are working from within big institutions to effect change. So what actions really move the needle?
Guests:
Dana Fisher, Professor of Sociology, University of Maryland
Rose Abramoff, Earth Scientist and Climate Activist
Ilana Cohen, Lead Organizer, Fossil Fuel Divest Harvard
For show notes and related links, visit ClimateOne.org.
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