Thirty-four Harvard students staged a sit-in at Harvard University today, demanding that Harvard completely divest its endowment of the top 200 publicly traded fossil fuel companies. The peaceful protest action comes after Harvard University invested tens of millions of dollars in the fossil fuel industry this January.
Shortly after 10:00 a.m. on Thursday morning, members of the activist group Divest Harvard entered Massachusetts Hall, home to the office of Harvard President Drew Faust. Carrying backpacks containing blankets, food and water bottles, the activists passed through three doors before setting up camp in the main hallway and proceeding to unfurl a colorful banner reading “Harvard Divest From Fossil Fuels Now!”
Harvard Divest entering Massachusetts Hall, which houses President Drew Faust’s office, at 10 a.m. on Thursday.
Divest Harvard students, moments after they first occupied Massachusetts Hall.
In an interview with the HPR, Talia Rothstein ‘17, co-leader of Divest Harvard, elaborated on why the group chose their tactic; “We chose a sit-in because we wanted to disrupt business as usual in the seats of power at Harvard. The people in these offices have the kind of power that could shape the decision Harvard makes. It’s not just any decision—it’s a historic one that will determine Harvard’s legacy for years to come.” Jasmine Opie ‘16, another co-leader of the group, echoed Rothstein’s sentiment, noting that the urgency of a sit-in mirrored the criticality of climate change.
Sit-in tactics are not easy. At the time of Rothstein and Opie’s interview, the group had been occupying Massachusetts Hall for twelve hours. At around 2 p.m. on Thursday, Harvard University police purposefully restricted access to the building’s bathrooms in an attempt to incentivize the group to vacate. Rothstein shed light on the group’s attitude: “The atmosphere vacillates between light hearted and tense. Recently there was a slight escalation of tension with the police that didn’t lead to anything, but [it] did change the mood. For the most part, though, our interactions with staff and police have been cordial, and the group has been impressively productive and focused. The community in here is giving me so much inspiration.”
A Divest Harvard member holds a placard, facilitating group discussion and strategy.
Reflecting on the most memorable part of the sit-in, Rothstein cited President Faust’s brief appearance mid-afternoon to address the students. According to Rothstein, “she [President Faust] appeared out of nowhere, with no introduction, to admonish our group for ‘coercive tactics.’ I’m sad to say this was my first time seeing and hearing President Faust speak in person.”
At the time this article was published, students were not yet pulling out the blankets they packed for the night—they were continuing to moderate social media messaging and publicity networks. Harvard Divest’s sit-in foreshadows worldwide action planned for February 13-14 to mark Global Divestment Day.
Disclosure: The author has occasionally been involved in administering Divest Harvard’s social media accounts.
Image credits: Mattea Mrkusic
UPDATE, February 13, 11:00 a.m.: Disclosure added.