March 31, 1986: 38 years ago, March 31 1986, activists demanding UC Berkeley divest from [...]

38 years ago, March 31 1986, activists demanding UC Berkeley divest from apartheid South Africa built a shantytown on Sproul Plaza, which they had renamed “Biko Plaza.” Police destroyed the shacks that night, making 61 arrests while students pelted their cars with rocks and eggs

Earlier in the day, an anti-apartheid rally (at which Richie Havens performed) brought over 1000 people to the plaza. After a bitter struggle which lasted over a year and saw more than 800 arrests, UC Berkeley finally divested billions of dollars from South Africa in July 1986

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