Students in Michigan protest against apartheid, April 1985. Source: Ann Arbor District Library
By Jeff Smith
The South African Anti-Apartheid movement was a global movement that took decades to dismantle the legal system of apartheid in South Africa.
In Grand Rapids, there were several anti-Apartheid campaigns that were successful, including the Grand Rapids Public Schools and the City of Grand Rapids. Both of those entities adopted resolutions and put in place practices to divest from companies profiting off of the racist system of Apartheid in South Africa.
A third campaign was led by students from what was then called Calvin College. The students would then recruit Calvin faculty to be part of the campaign, which was eventually successful. What follows is a letter (dated November 4, 1985) from one of the student organizers to Calvin administrators.
Dear Priorities Committee Member,
The following is a copy of a motion passed unanimously by Student Senate at its October 28 meeting. Part of the request was that the faculty join the Student Senate in making this resolution. This resolution now comes before the Priorities Committee for our discussion regarding its presentation to the entire faculty.
Poster by Jenny DeWitt. Source: Jeff Smith
In the summer of 1984, the Synod of the Christian Reformed Church condemned the Biblical defense of apartheid as heresy. As of the autumn of 1985, apartheid remains the official policy of the South African government. Under this system of racial segregation, the injustice of minority oppression continues.
Therefore, in keeping with the spirit of the Synod’s decision, we the Student Senate of Calvin College, resolve to commit ourselves to take the following action as a manifestation of our strong disapproval of the policy of apartheid and as an expression of our sincerest desire to see the system of apartheid dismantled and replaced by a system that recognizes the equality and oneness of all people before God their Creator: The Student Senate strongly urges Calvin College to divest itself of all holdings in corporations currently doing business in South Africa or transacting business with the government of South Africa.
Student Senate also mandates the Student Senate Executive Committee to draft letters to the companies from which we are recommending the divestment of Calvin College’s holdings expressing Student Senate’s concern regarding involvement in South Africa and explaining the reasons for our action.
Student Senate urges the Faculty to join us in making this resolution.
Very truly yours,
Craig Knot
Student Body President
Learn more about the Grand Rapids anti-Apartheid Movement, especially source material, here and read Chapter 6 of A People’s History of Grand Rapids by Jeff Smith.
This post was written by Jeff Smith, author of A People’s History of Grand Rapids. Smith has been part of social movement work for more than four decades in Grand Rapids. He co-founded the Koinonia House, which practiced radical hospitality for the unhoused and was a sanctuary for Central American refugees fleeing U.S.-sponsored terrorism in the 1980s. Smith spent a significant amount of time doing accompaniment work in Central America and Mexico, working with and learning from movement organizers in those countries. He started the Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy in 1998 and the Grand Rapids People’s History Project in 2010.
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