Campus Divestment Movement Forces Universities to Drop South Africa Holdings

In spring 1985, anti-apartheid protesters at Columbia, Berkeley, Cornell, and dozens of other campuses erect shantytown protest encampments demanding university divestment from companies doing business in South Africa. Columbia University divests $39 million in holdings in June 1985. By 1988, over 150 universities have divested some holdings, cutting off capital from firms propping up apartheid.