March 2021 Advocate: Organizing against CalSTRS’ investments in fossil fuels

Environmental justice

Call on CalSTRS to divest from fossil fuels

A message from high school students in Youth vs Apocalypse:

Most faculty are not aware that over $6 billion of their retirement money is being handed over to fossil fuel companies and funding destruction like the Line 3 pipeline where Indigenous water protectors have been camping out in the snow to prevent the pipeline that will bring nearly a million barrels of tar sands per day from Alberta, Canada to Superior, Wisconsin.

Most faculty don’t know that CalSTRS board members Harry Keiley and Sharon Hendricks refuse to meet with students of color and teachers living next to fossil fuel sites to talk about environmental racism. Most faculty also don’t know that CalSTRS has gone to great lengths to censor and dismiss the faculty, frontline students, Indigenous leaders, scientists, financial experts, and doctors who are demanding divestment. We need your help to let CalSTRS know that we will not allow them to give another penny of our teachers’ hard-earned money to fossil fuel companies. Please send this form letter (or write your own) to let the CalSTRS Board know that you are with students calling to divest from fossil fuels.

Youth vs Apocalypse and Earth Guardians Bay Area will be doing a solidarity action with Indigenous youth this Friday, March 26th, at 5pm at the Golden Gate Bridge and we would love your support.

We will be asking State Superintendent Tony Thurmond, who is very progressive and also on the board of the teachers’ pension fund called CalSTRS, to join us in calling for CalSTRS to divest from fossil fuels and help #StopLine3.

Here are different ways you can help us:

  • Go to this link to sign on as a co-sponsor.
    • You don’t need to be able to attend. Just having your name in support means a lot to us.
  • Invite others to join us at the 3/26 Golden Gate Bridge action at 5pm.
  • Encourage your networks to send this form letter to tell CalSTRS to DIVEST from fossil fuels and help #StopLine3  DivestCalSTRS.
    • People can sign who live anywhere because CalSTRS deciding to keep giving billions to fossil fuel companies affects the world!

We must tell CalSTRS and Enbridge that building LINE 3 IS NOT OKAY AND WILL NOT STAND.