Your Support Is Vital!

PA DIVESTMENT EFFORT

Make Sure PA’s Money is Not Supporting Genocide!

- Testimony - PA House Bill 1140 - Fact Sheet

- OVERVIEW - The Sudanese government is sponsoring genocide in the Darfur region of western Sudan. The genocide has already killed over 400,000 innocent civilians and displaced another 3 million from their homes. Investment from some foreign companies plays a key role in the Sudanese government’s ability to fund these atrocities. Pennsylvania’s pension funds may be invested in these companies – in other words, Pennsylvania funds may be going towards supporting genocide. The cities of Philadelphia (in Sept 2006) and Pittsburgh (in March 2007) have already divested their funds from key companies doing business in Sudan. Eight Pennsylvania colleges and universities have either already divested their funds from companies doing business in Sudan or are considering doing so. Nationwide, 12 states have already divested from companies doing business in Sudan. Additionally, legislation has been passed and is currently awaiting governor’s signature in another state. The bill has a number of safeguards to ensure that targeted Sudan divestment would be financially safe for the commonwealth of PA. With one of the biggest public pension systems in the country, PA should ensure that its money is not going towards genocide by rapidly passing and implementing this legislation. Contact your State Representative and State Senator today. Email pennsylvania@sudandivestment.org for more info and to get involved! Contact Darfur Alert Coalition Advocacy Committee to work with others to ensure PA Pension funds are not supporting genocide. Email: refitzgerald@aol.com - DARFUR ALERT COALITION FIGHTS FOR DIVESTMENT - The Darfur Alert Coalition is a partner in the national campaign to press U.S. mutual funds to divest from genocide-implicated multinational firms, particularly Chinese oil conglomerates. The five targeted mutual funds have well over $4 billion in dirty holdings – entangling everyday customers like you and me in mass murder. DAC held a “Don’t Invest in Genocide” awareness-raising rally in October outside the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, and has been circulating a petition calling on the mutual funds to divest. DAC applied direct pressure on the Vanguard Group, the large mutual fund based in Valley Forge. Immediately afterwards, Vanguard wrote to four of the implicated companies “encouraging them to take part in constructive and positive change in Sudan.” We continue to birddog Vanguard and call on them to divest or take other positive public action. For information about Sudan divestment and the state of your own holdings visit sudandivestment.org. An online divestment petition can be found at investorsagainstgenocide.org. Click here to see how a local activist couple took on Warren Buffet. - TESTIMONY - Dr. Ali B. Ali-Dinar, U of Pennsylvania, President of Darfur Alert Coalition Honorable Alan Butkovitz, Philadelphia City Controller Alexa Malishchak, Sr. Field Organizer of Sudan Divestment Task Force Bill Becker, Board Member of American Jewish World Service - PA HOUSE BILL 1140 - Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Bill 1140 (April 23, 2007) FACTS (PA House Bill 1140)