Tutu Endorses Divestment Slate For Overseers

The slate of pro-divestment candidates running for the Board of Overseers received a boost yesterday when Anglican Archbishop of Capetown Desmond M. Tutu endorsed their campaign, the slate's sponsors announced last week.

Alumni Against Apartheid (AAA), which is backing the pro-divestment candidates, solicited the endorsement of the Nobel Peace Prize winning South African Black leader to draw more attention to the pro-divestment campaign, said Victor Sidel, a prominent social activist in New York who is one of the pro-divestment candidates.

The endorsement "could well make a differencebetween winning and not winning," said ChesterHartman '57, a member of the Executive Committeeof AAA. To garner the endorsement, Hartman wroteto Tutu two weeks ago and followed up with twophone calls to Tutu's secretary, he said.

This is the second time Tutu has endorsedpro-divestment candidates at Harvard. Last year heendorsed a three member pro-divestment slate, ofwhich one candidate, Gay W. Seidman '78, waselected.

"Last year, I think it made a difference," saidHartman.

"Lots of people told us last year that whenthey were teetering on how to vote, they wouldlook to someone who they respected to help providethe answers to help them make up their minds,"said Hartman.

The pro-divestment candidates this year areSidel, Haywood Burns '62, vice provost for theCity College of New York, Jerome Grossman '38, aMassachusetts businessman and liberal activist,Ruth J. Messinger '62, a New York City Councilor,Peter D. Wood '64, a Duke University historyprofessor, and Consuela Washington, counsel to theHouse Committee on Energy and Commerce. They,along with 12 candidates nominated by theUniversity, are running for six vacant spots onthe Board.

Candidates contacted yesterday said theendorsement would draw more votes, but would notbe the decisive factor in the April election. Eachmember of the slate mentioned the endorsement inthe 250-word statement of their qualificationsthat is sent to all alumni when election ballotsare mailed this April.

"He is a symbol of working for change in SouthAfrica," said Sidel. "It's nice to be a part ofthat effort and be recognized by him as part ofthat effort."

"Tutu's endorsement signals additional clarityon the divestment issue," said Messinger. "I thinkthere will be lots of people voting based onreading our statements"

Tutu's vote of confidence will influence thealumni voters because he is "one of the mostmoderate of major black spokesmen and the mostwidely known internationally," said Wood.

"His name and his actions represent things thatHarvard alumni feel most strongly about," saidWood. "I assume any of the 18 candidates would beproud of his endorsement."

But Wood said the endorsement will not play adecisive role in the election. "I think ourrecords and our visions for the future will be thedetermining factors," he added.

Hartman said he has not asked for theendorsement of other Black South African leadersand does not know if he will. He said that onereason Tutu's endorsement was solicited was thathe received an honorary degree here in 1979