Word: brutuses
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...number of anti-apartheid activists have pointed out, the principles themselves are only minimum guarantees. Exiled South African poet Dennis Brutus calls them "a figleaf to cover up the obscenity of the Corporations" working in South Africa. We agree with Brutus and others like him. So what if IBM treats its 200 Black employees nicely when its computers help the illegitimate South African government maintain its systematic repression of millions of others...
Instead of "passing the buck," universities must lead the way in ethical investing. Brutus says, decrying the argument put forth by some colleges that it is not their place to make foreign policy. Such excuses, he explains, "abdicate all moral responsibility." Brutus also condemns the contention that some Blacks actually want the corporate help. "You can always find Uncle Toms who will parrot what needs to be said," he notes. "There is a reward for collaborating with the system," he adds, pointing to the economic advancement of Blacks who have supported outside investment in the country. Far more telling than...
...lead the way in bringing about corporate withdrawal, says the college professor and political activist. But even though many colleges made commitments to some form of divestment in the early 1970s, he says he is worried that many institutions are now reconsidering their decisions. At too many schools, Brutus thinks, the question of divestment has been relegated to ineffective committees or research groups that allow the universities to appear concerned while taking-no-effective action. While Brutus does not consider Harvard's Advisory Committee on Shareholder Responsibility as bad as many of these groups, he sees it as "part...
During the last 10 years, Brutus has urged total American corporate withdrawal from South Africa. "What we really want and what we should be going for constantly is divestment. That's it. Whether it is in relation to banks or corporations, the African demand is 'Get them...
...Although Brutus still faces possible deportation and although the demise of South Africa's apartheid system still appears distant, the poet/activist remains surprisingly optimistic about the prospects of improvement for his people. He sees America playing an important role in the process; "I find a tremendous surge of radicalism and activism beginning, just the start of a ground swell; and as the Reagan plan unfolds, people are going to get more and more angry. There are going to be a lot more people out in the street, marching." Brutus reflects on his anti-apartheid activities in America and South Africa...