By Sue Edwards, Southeastern Pennsylvania Group, Delaware County RF100 Team
Earlier this summer I decided to get arrested-that is, to commit civil disobedience on behalf of the climate emergency. (Not in my role as a Sierra Club member, since there is a national policy generally prohibiting civil disobedience in the name of the Club.) It’s not my first time, but when I feel intensely about an issue, I have a strong urge to “up my game.” At this point, the climate is calling out for significant action. Besides being a decades-long Sierra Club member and activist, I have in the past few years also gotten involved in several other organizations addressing climate, one of which is EQAT (pronounced “equate”), or Earth Quaker Action Team. As a Quaker, I resonate with their joyful, spirit-led and well organized campaigns that concentrate on an issue over time, such as when they successfully got PNC Bank to get out of the business of funding mountaintop removal mining through a lengthy campaign of protests, customer account closings, etc.
On April 19th, dozens of us stood blocking the entrances to the Vanguard headquarters in Malvern, PA, outside Philadelphia at the height of the morning rush hour. Within minutes, 16 of us were in handcuffs, being put into vans to be driven to the county prison, where we were photographed, fingerprinted and confined to two holding cells (men and women separately) for about 6 hours. We were finally released in mid-afternoon into the arms of waiting supporters who plied us with water and nourishment and gave us an opportunity to debrief. As of this writing, we await news of what the judicial system will require of us. No further jail time is expected, but there could be fines. A lawyer associated with EQAT is advising us.
EQAT’s current thrust, “Never Vanguard,” aims to pressure asset manager Vanguard, the world’s largest investor in fossil fuels, to stop putting their customers’ funds in this globe-damaging industry. (EQAT is part of the umbrella Vanguard S.O.S campaign, which targets the asset manager worldwide.)
How can you invest for people’s retirement while at the same time endangering that future? Tellingly, last December, Vanguard signed on to the Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative, which would have cut their investments in fossil fuels. But then in January 2023, they backed out of that agreement. So EQAT’s campaign amped up.
For over a year and a half, EQAT has written letters, made phone calls, delivered petitions, and asked Vanguard leadership to meet to hear concerns about catastrophic climate change. EQAT has organized scores of people in growing numbers to take part in such actions as a 40 mile march across the region, a Quaker-style meeting for worship on the sidewalk outside the home of Vanguard’s president, and a public call for people to withdraw any investments they have with the company. Currently, $17 million has been removed or pledged to be removed by Vanguard customers in response to this effort. EQAT has also partnered with environmental justice organizations fighting against polluting industries along the Chester waterfront that Vanguard invests in.
Of note, it’s not even a wise business strategy to put resources into climate-damaging oil, gas, and coal. As EQAT said in a press release, “According to a 2021 report, Vanguard could lose at least $3 trillion by 2050 if it fails to act on the climate crisis.”
This blog was included as part of the August 2023 Sylvanian newsletter. Please click here to check out more articles from this edition!