Re: Professors skeptical of Dartmouth New Deal divestment goals
The Dartmouth recently published an article in which Richard S. Braddock economics professor Bruce Sacerdote and visiting government professor Bernard Avishai criticized divesting the endowment from “organizations that are complicit in apartheid.” Many of their points warrant objection.
According to the article, Sacerdote stated that “the purpose of the endowment is not to be able to make political statements,” but we must grapple with the reality that any investment of $8 billion — such as the College’s $8 billion endowment — has political consequences. The College should manage its funds in an ethical manner that does not profit from apartheid and ethnic cleansing. We cannot forget the precedent for divestment, both globally and at Dartmouth, which has been instrumental in liberation movements throughout history, from dismantling apartheid in South Africa to bolstering the Civil Rights movement.
Referring to some of the companies targeted for divestment, Avishai stated that “their work in Israel [is] only a small part of what they’re doing.” What he doesn’t mention is that this “work in Israel” directly contributes to human rights violations and the conditions of Israeli apartheid. Shouldn’t any involvement with human rights violations be sufficient cause for divestment?
Avishai also said that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem constitutes a form of apartheid, but he stopped short of labeling Israel as an apartheid state, claiming “it’s a national conflict, but it’s not racial.” Erasing the racial aspect of Israel’s occupation dangerously omits the numerous instances of institutionalized racism within and outside Israel’s borders, such as the 35 unrecognized Bedouin villages in the Naqeb, in which nearly 70,000 Bedouins are disenfranchised and refused access to national infrastructure.
As an institution with tremendous influence, we have a responsibility to wield it ethically. Dartmouth must immediately cut ties to companies who are actively enabling the genocide in Gaza and the larger system of apartheid in occupied historic Palestine. Dartmouth should not profit from death and occupation.
Calvin George is a member of the Class of 2024 and the Palestine Solidarity Coalition at Dartmouth. Letters to the Editor represent the views of their author(s), which are not necessarily those of The Dartmouth.
