Do you believe that you deserve to know where your money is going? Do you believe in ethical, human-centered investment? Do you believe in holding Swarthmore College to its proudly touted Quaker values?

So do we.

Ban the Ban is a coalition of students representing Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), Students for Transformative Justice, Abolition, and Reform (STAR), and Sunrise Swarthmore, calling on the college to revoke the 1991 ban on ethical divestment. The ban currently operates as a bureaucratic barrier for divestment campaigns. It is a cowardly excuse for the Board to sidestep important conversations about ethical dilemmas.

As students, faculty and staff, parents, and alumni that comprise the diverse community of this institution, we have a right to demand the ethical use of our endowment. The movement to Ban the Ban is working to lift the 1991 ban to hold the College’s investments accountable to ethical standards instead of purely financial criteria.  

For a school that ostensibly prides itself on its commitment to social and ethical responsibility, and claims to value student perspectives, Swarthmore’s 1991 ban is not only hypocritical but a moral stain on this institution. This policy betrays our values.

Join us in demanding an end to the 1991 ban on ethical divestment and the creation of an Ethical Investment Committee to guide Swarthmore’s future management of funds.