lang: en
Summary
In May 1977, Stanford University students organized sit-ins and rallies to demand the university divest from companies doing business in apartheid South Africa. The campaign, led by the Stanford Committee for Responsible Investment Policy (SCRIP), resulted in the largest mass arrest in the university’s history at that time. Although the university did not fully divest, it adopted an ethical investment policy and created a commission to review investments.
Background
Stanford University held stocks in companies like Ford Motor Company that operated in apartheid South Africa. The university’s board of trustees refused to support a shareholder proposal to withdraw from South Africa, prompting students to demand divestment. The campaign was part of a broader international movement against apartheid.
What happened
On May 9, 1977, around 1 P.M., students began a sit-in at the Old Student Union Building. [source: nv-database] Police entered after 6 P.M. [source: nv-database] and arrested 294 campaigners, most of them students, for refusing to leave. [source: nv-database] The students chanted anti-apartheid slogans and sang ‘We Shall Overcome.’ The next day, about 900 students gathered for a rally, condemned the arrests, and re-occupied the building. [source: nv-database] They later voted 170 to 130 to end the sit-in to avoid further arrests. [source: nv-database] In August 1977, six protesters were placed on six-month probation. [source: nv-database] The board of trustees issued a statement expressing aversion to apartheid and agreed to meet with SCRIP members, but did not agree to divestment. [source: nv-database] In December 1977, the board adopted an ethical investment policy, and on June 14, 1985, a revised selective divestment policy was adopted, creating a Commission on Investment Responsibility. [source: nv-database] However, Stanford had not fully divested by 1986, maintaining a case-by-case review policy [source: nv-database].
Key people & organizations
- Stanford Committee for Responsible Investment Policy (SCRIP)
- Stanford University Board of Trustees
- Jill Ann Marshall
- Ray Marshall
- Reverend Leon Sullivan
Tactics used
The sit-ins and rallies created direct pressure on the university administration, while the formation of SCRIP provided organized leadership and a platform for negotiation. The nonviolent approach and mass arrests drew public attention and sympathy. [source: nv-database]
Outcome
Verdict: partial.
The campaign achieved partial success: Stanford adopted an ethical investment policy and created a review commission, but did not fully divest from South Africa-related companies. The university’s case-by-case approach meant that divestment was not comprehensive, and student protests continued in subsequent years. [source: nv-database]
Lessons
- Nonviolent direct action like sit-ins can escalate pressure on institutions, especially when combined with organized committees for negotiation.
- Mass arrests can generate media coverage and public sympathy, but may not guarantee full concession of demands.
- Sustained campaigning over years may be necessary to achieve complete policy change.
Sources
- Global Nonviolent Action Database —
[[nv-database]]
Disclaimer: Included as a teaching example of campaign craft, not as endorsement.
Sources & verification
nv-database— grounding: primary — license: link-only- Rewritten: 2026-06-25 via
worker_casestudies_v2.py