Activists Plan Rally To Urge Princeton U. Divest From Fossil Fuel

PRINCETON, NJ — A rally is scheduled for Saturday to urge the Trustees of Princeton University to divest its endowment from fossil fuels.

Divest Princeton, a coalition of Princeton students, professors and alumni is the primary sponsor of the rally. Co-sponsors include Princeton Environmental Activism Coalition, Coalition for Peace Action (CFPA), Princeton Mutual Aid, and Princeton Against Gun Violence.

"For years, Princeton has hidden behind an artificial process designed to delay action on climate change. We're fed up. We're coming to the university's doorstep to say divestment has to happen. Delay is denial, and we can't abide it anymore," Divest Princeton told Patch in a statement.

The university’s Resource Committee is expected to make recommendations in support of divestment, at the upcoming Council of the Princeton University Community meeting on May 3.

The recommendations will then go to the Board of Trustee’s Committee on Finance and then to the full board.

“Princeton University has shown itself to be responsive to calls for moral progress, as when it divested from South Africa in 1985; and, recently, removed Woodrow Wilson’s name from its School of Public and International Affairs,” the Rev. Robert Moore, Executive Director of the CFPA said in a statement.

“Each of these took sustained struggle and pressure to be actualized. Now we invite the public to join in pressing for the urgent Divestment from fossil fuels to help slow a rapidly worsening climate crisis - before it’s too late.”

The rally is the culmination of several days of programming organized by Divest Princeton. This includes the ‘Cameras Off Zoom Protest’ on Thursday, where students and supporters will turn off their cameras during classes and replace their profile pictures with a Divest Princeton logo.

On Friday, supporters will gather to meet the people of Divest Princeton and get ready for Saturday's divestment rally. At the meeting, attendees will make signs for the event. Mask is required.

The ‘Delay Is Denial’ rally will begin at 1 p.m. by the Fitzrandolph Gates, 91 Nassau St. Confirmed speakers include:

• Rev. Robert Moore, Executive Director, Coalition for Peace Action
• Ryan Warsing, Co-Coordinator, Divest Princeton
• Isabel Rodrigues, organizer, Divest Princeton
• Hannah Reynolds, organizer, Divest Princeton
• Katie Massie, organizer, Divest Princeton
• Mayu Takeuchi, Sustainability Chair, Princeton Undergraduate Student Government
• Daniel Ponton, organizer, Princeton Mutual Aid
• Malini Nambiar, Ph.D. candidate, Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.

Members of the public are invited to attend. Social distancing and masks are mandatory for those who participate in the rally.

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