UPDATED: List of 200+ U.S. BDS Victories!

Artist: Joel Reinstein

 

(Last updated November 2017)

By popular demand, below is a list of U.S. Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) wins, originally released to commemorate ten years since Palestinian civil society issued the call for BDS. 

Do you see something missing, or that needs to be changed? With victories unfolding daily, this is a work in progress. Click here to submit new victories or changes! (U.S. victories only)

Campus Victories

(See also Academic Boycott & Campus Labor Victories, listed separately)

May 10, 2017 – Associated Students, Inc. Senate at Cal State University – Long Beach (CSULB) passes resolution to divest from Israel – Long Beach, California

April 25, 2017 – University of California at Riverside Student Senate calls for divestment – Riverside, California

April 19, 2017 – Pitzer College passes new bylaws prohibiting use of student funds for companies or products associated with Israeli occupation – Claremont, California

April 9, 2017 – Tufts Community Union Senate passes divestment – Medford, Massachusetts

March 21, 2017 – Sacramento City College becomes first city college to pass divestment resolution – Sacramento, California

March 15, 2017 – De Anza becomes first Community College Student Senate to pass divestment – Cupertino, California

March 3, 2017 – University of South Florida students pass referendum to divest from Israeli apartheid, fossil fuels, private prisons, human rights violations – Tampa, Florida

February 2, 2017 – University of California at Riverside Associated Students vote unanimously to remove Israeli military-associated company Sabra hummus from campus – Riverside, California

November 13, 2016 – Manchester University — home of first Peace Studies in world — Student Senate votes unanimously in support of BDS, divestment – North Manchester, Indiana

October 26, 2016 – Associated Students of Portland State University Pass Divestment Resolution In Support of Palestinian Human Rights – Portland, Oregon

May 31, 2016 – Evergreen State College students vote to condemn the presence of Caterpillar equipment on campus – Olympia, Washington

May 31, 2016 – Overwhelming 73.9% Vote by Evergreen State College Students to Deshelve Sabra Hummus on Campus – Olympia, Washington

May 19, 2016 – University of Wisconsin at Madison Graduate Student Union Endorses BDS – Madison, Wisconsin

May 17, 2016 – Religious Studies Scholars Endorse BDS

April 26, 2016 – University of California at Merced Student Government Passes Divestment Resolution – Merced, California

April 12, 2016 – University of Minnesota student government passes divestment – Minneapolis, Minnesota

April 12, 2016 – University of Chicago College Council Votes to Divest from Israeli Apartheid – Chicago, Illinois

April 4, 2016 – Rutgers University-Newark Student Governing Association Passes Divestment Resolution – Newark, NJ

April 2, 2016 – University of Indianapolis Student Senate passes resolution to divest from companies profiting from occupation, deshelve Sabra hummus – Indianapolis, IN

March 6, 2016 – Vassar Student Association Passes Resolution Endorsing the BDS Movement – Arlington, NY

February 22, 2016 – Thirty Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Faculty and Staff Group Endorses Boycott of Israel – Indianapolis, IN

February 16, 2016 – University of Illinois at Chicago Undergraduate Student Government Assembly Passes Divestment Resolution Unanimously – Chicago, Illinois

January 19, 2016 – University of South Florida Student Government Senate Passes Joint Resolution for Divestment – Tampa, Florida

November 18, 2015 – San Jose State University Students Pass Resolution to Divest from Corporations that profit from the Israeli Occupation – San Jose, California

June 22, 2015 – Columbia University divests from private prisons including G4S, following coalition-led campaign – Manhattan, New York

April 30, 2015 – Oglethorpe University student goverment passes resolution to divest from Israeli occupation – Atlanta, Georgia

April 29, 2015 – Princeton graduate students pass divestment referendum – Princeton, New Jersey

April 22, 2015 – Earlham Student Senate passes resolution in support of divestment from Israeli occupation – Richmond, Indiana

April 16, 2015 – Wesleyan University president agrees to divest university from prisons as first step when Wesleyan students call for divestment from fossil fuels, prisons, and Israeli occupation – Middletown, Connecticut

April 9, 2015 – NYU Faculty call for divestment from companies supplying the Israeli army – New York, New York

March 25, 2015 – Student Government of Loyola Chicago passes resolution to divest – Chicago, Illinois

March 2, 2015 – Toledo student government calls for University divestment by margin of 21:4 – Toledo, Ohio

February 19, 2015 – Northwestern University Student Government calls for university divestment – Evanston, Illinois

February 17, 2015 – Stanford divestment passes in a landslide victory – Stanford, California

February 8, 2015 – University of California Student Association — representing hundreds of thousands of UC students statewide — endorses call for UC divestment in support of Palestinian rights – State of California

May 29, 2015 – University of California at Davis Associated Students pass divestment bill – Davis, California

December 17, 2014 – Harvard University Dining Services suspends purchases from SodaStream – Cambridge, Massachusetts

December 5, 2014 – Wesleyan University Dining Facilities Remove Sabra Following Successful Boycott Campaign – Middletown, Connecticut

November, 2014 – University of California at Los Angeles undergraduate student government passes divestment resolution – Los Angeles, California

August 9-10, 2014 – United Students Against Sweatshops Endorses BDS

May 28, 2014 – University of California at Santa Cruz student government passes divestment resolution – Santa Cruz, California

May 23, 2014 – DePaul student body votes for divestment despite Israeli government interference – Chicago, Illinois

May, 2014 – Wesleyan Students Association divests its student endowment from Israeli occupation, calls for full university divestment – Middletown, Connecticut

April, 2014 – More than 10,000 Univ. of South Florida students call for divestment — largest petition in state’s history – Tampa, Florida

April, 2014 – University of New Mexico Graduate & Professional Student Association vote for divestment from companies involved in human rights violations in Palestine and on U.S.-Mexico border – Albuquerque, New Mexico

May 5, 2013 – Oberlin College Student Senate passes divestment Resolution – Oberlin, OH

April, 2013 – University of California at Berkeley Student Senate passes divestment – Berkeley, California

March 7,  2013  –  University of California at Riverside Associated Students Council pass resolution calling for divestment – Riverside, California

March, 2013 – University of California at San Diego Associated Students Council pass resolution calling for divestment – San Diego, California

November 14, 2012 – Brown University Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Policies calls on Brown Corporation to divest from the Israeli occupation – Providence, Rhode Island

November, 2012 – University of California at Irvine Associated Students unanimously pass resolution urging divestment from companies that profit from Israel’s occupation of Palestine – Irvine, California

September 2012 – Swarthmore College Deshelves Sabra Following Student Petition – Philadelphia, PA

September 5, 2012 – Earlham College Dining Services Stops Selling Sabra in Response to Student and Faculty Concerns – Richmond, Indiana

June 5, 2012 – Arizona State University Student Government Votes to Divest from Israel – Tempe, Arizona

June 4, 2012 – The Evergreen State College Flaming Eggplant Cafe Announces Boycott of Israeli Products – Olympia, Washington

April 18, 2012 – UMass-Boston Student Government passes resolution to divest from Boeing – Boston, Massachusetts

March 30 , 2012 – National Movimiento Estudiantil Chican@ de Aztlán (MEChA) Endorses Palestinian Boycott of Israel

May/November, 2011 – Majority of DePaul students vote to boycott Sabra Hummus; force ethical alternatives offered – Chicago, Illinois

June 2, 2010 – Evergreen State College student body votes for boycott of Caterpillar equipment, becoming “CAT-free campus”; Student Senate votes unanimously to support BDS

Spring, 2010 – Evergreen State College Student Body votes for divestment from companies involved in Israeli occupation – Olympia, Washington

February 12, 2009 – Hampshire College becomes first campus to divest from the Israeli occupation – Amherst, Massachusetts

2005, 2006, 2010, 2014 – University of Michigan at Dearborn Student Government passes divestment resolution – Dearborn, Michigan

April, 2003 – Wayne State University student council votes for divestiture – Detroit, Michigan

Cultural Boycott

(See joint Cultural/Academic Boycott victories listed below under Academic Boycott)

February 23, 2017 – U.S. Literary Festival PEN America proceeds without Israeli government sponsorship following appeals from leading writers – National

February 22, 2017 – Oscars Celebrities #Skipthetrip to Israel – National

February 9, 2017 – Super Bowl star Michael Bennett boycotts trip to Israel, says he won’t be used by Israel – National

April 6, 2016 – Publisher Rethinking Schools Endorses BDS – National

December, 2015 – American journalist Doug Henwood refuses to have his book on Hillary Clinton translated into Hebrew

July, 2015 – Thurstoj Moore of Sonic Youth endorses BDS

June 19-21, 2015 – Three Queer Cultural Organizations Cut Ties with Frameline SF International LGBT Film Festival Over Israeli Sponsorship – San Francisco, California

June, 2015 – Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project Announces Support for BDS, boycotts Frameline LGBT Festival – San Francisco, California

May 4, 2015 – Lauryn Hill cancels performance in Israel in response to calls for boycott

May, 2015 – Black Lives Matter Co-founder Patrisse Cullors endorses BDS

October, 2014 – Musician and Poet Boots Riley of The Coup endorses the call for the cultural and academic boycott of Israel

October, 2014 – Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and MacArthur “genius award” recipient Junot Diaz endorses BDS

May 26, 2014 – American Rapper Talib Kweli cancels Israel gig

April 7, 2014 – Milwaukee People’s Books Coop endorses BDS – Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Spring, 2014 – Public Enemy’s Chuck D endorses BDS

March, 2012 – Seattle LGBT Commission Cancels “Pinkwashing” Event Sponsored by Israeli Consulate (Events in Olympia and Tacoma Also Canceled) – Seattle, Olympia, and Tacoma, Washington

February, 2012 – Singer-songwriter Cat Power cancels Tel Aviv concert

February, 2012 – American jazz singer Cassandra Wilson cancels performance at Holon International Women’s Festival

February, 2012 – American Indie Pop Band “The Pains of Being Pure at Heart” cancels Tel Aviv show

January, 2012 – Tune-Yards band cancels gig in Israel; Merrill Garbus, lead singer, is a signatory of the Artists Against Israeli Apartheid pledge

Summer, 2011 – 11 Indigenous and Women of Color Feminists, including prominent intellectual & activist Angela Davis, unequivocally endorse BDS

June, 2011 – Basketball legend and actor Kareem Abdul-Jabbar cancels visit to Israel in response to “Nakba Day violence”

April, 2011 – Washington University Hip-Hop Program Revokes Invitation to Israeli Cultural Ambassador – St. Louis, Missouri

July 7, 2010 – Dustin Hoffman & Meg Ryan pull out of 2010 Film Festival after Mavi Marmara massacre

June, 2010 – Carlos Santana cancels concert in Tel Aviv following boycott calls

June, 2010 – The Pixies cancel concert in wake of Mavi Marmara massacre

May, 2010 – Renowned American poet and musician Gil Scott-Heron cancels concert in Israel

Academic Boycott

April 15, 2016 – CUNY Graduate Students Vote for Academic Boycott of Israel – New York, NY

November 27, 2015 – National Women’s Studies Association Members Join the BDS Movement

November 21, 2015 – American Anthropological Association Votes overwhelmingly in favor of boycotting Israeli academic institutions – National

April, 2015 – National Association of Chicana and Chicano Studies endorses boycott of Israeli academic institutions

January 14, 2014 & November 10, 2015 – Green Party of the U.S. defends and endorses ASA and AAA boycotts of Israeli academic institutions

November 15, 2014 – Peace and Justice Studies Association endorses BDS – International

July 18, 2014 – Critical Ethnic Studies Association passes BDS resolution supporting academic boycott – International

January 26, 2014 – Arab American Studies Association (AASA) Supports ASA Academic Boycott of Israel – National

December 15, 2013 – Native American and Indigenous Studies Association endorses boycott of Israeli academic institutions

December 13, 2013 – University of Hawai’i Ethnic Studies Department Supports BDS and Academic Boycott of Israel – Mānoa, Hawai’i

December, 2013 – American Studies Association endorses academic boycott of Israel by sweeping majority membership vote after national council passes unanimously

October 24, 2013 – Association for Humanist Sociology Votes to Support the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel – International

April, 2013 – General Membership of Association for Asian American Studies votes to support academic boycott of Israel

September, 2012 – Prominent academic Judith Butler reaffirms support for BDS

May 4, 2012 – Columbia University Prof. Franke boycotts conference with “featured nation” Israel & Israeli Ambassador keynote speech

May 9, 2011 – Dr. Cornel West Endorses BDS, Supports Ethnic Studies at University of Arizona – National

November, 2009 – Prominent intellectual Sarah Schulman boycotts Lesbian & Gay Studies conference at Tel Aviv

Feb 8, 2009 – Poet and Feminist Adrienne Rich endorses the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel – National

Faith-Based Actions

July 3, 2017 – United Church of Christ calls for military sanctions on Israel for its mistreatment of Palestinian children in Israeli detention – National

June 12, 2017 – By a vote of 144-5, Minnesota Conference of the United Church of Christ divests from companies that profit from the Israeli occupation of Palestine – Minnesota

January 19, 2017 – Majilis Ash-Shura / Islamic Leadership Council of New York endorse BDS – New York, New York

December 10, 2016 – Pax Christi International endorses BDS – International

August 13, 2016 – Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Overwhelmingly Passes Investment Screen

August 13, 2016 – Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Votes 82% Against Unconditional U.S. Aid to Israel

April 10, 2016 – Alliance of Baptists Divests from Companies Profiting from Israel’s Occupation of Palestinian Land

April 7, 2016 – Unitarian Universalists Divest from Companies Profiting from Israel’s Occupation

March 30, 2016 – Catholic Conference of Major Superiors of Men Calls for Boycott of Illegal Settlements

January, 2016 – United Methodist Church Excludes Top 5 Israeli Banks for Involvement in Illegal Settlements

December 2015 – United Methodist Church declares Israeli company Elbit Systems, long excluded for weapons production, also ineligible for investment due to involvement in human rights violations

June 30, 2015 – United Church of Christ General Synod votes overwhelmingly to boycott and divest from Israeli occupation

June, 2015 – National Council of Fellowship of Reconciliation Unanimously Endorses BDS

July 31, 2014 – No Más Muertes endorses Palestinian call for BDS

June 20, 2014 – Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly divests from companies involved in Israeli occupation

June 12, 2014 – United Methodist Church divests from G4S in response to role in Israeli prisons

Winter 2013/2014 – United Methodist Church General Board of Church and Society Boycotts Sodastream

March 16, 2013 – Mennonite Central Committee unanimously adopts AFSC 29-company no-buy list for divestment

18 Victories spanning 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 – 18 Quaker Meetings Across 15 States Endorse Boycott, Divestment, and, in some cases, Both

September, 2012 – Quaker Friends Fiduciary Corporation divests from HP, Veolia

July, 2012 – Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly votes to boycott settlement products

May, 2012 – United Methodist Church General Conference votes to boycott settlement products

May, 2012 – Quaker Friends Fiduciary Corporation divests from Caterpillar

June, 2010 – Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly calls for U.S. Government to place sanctions on military assistance to Israel

March 8, 2008 – American Friends Service Committee approves Israel-Palestine Investment Screen

Boycotting & De-Shelving Israeli Products

(Many more listed above in other sections)

April 21, 2014 – Earth Day Network cuts ties with Sodastream

July, 2014 – Cambridge fixture Pemberton Farms stops selling Sabra following Boston BDS campaign – Cambridge, Massachusetts

2014 – Balady Foods deshelves Sabra hummus – Brooklyn, New York

January 24, 2014 – KQED Public Radio Pulls SodaStream from Gifts to Donors – Bay Area, California

January, 2014 – Hollywood Star Scarlett Johansson resigns as Oxfam International Global Ambassador due to deal with Sodastream

December, 2013 – Harvest Coop deshelves Sabra following boycott Boston BDS campaign – Cambridge and Boston, Massachusetts

January, 2012 – Lincoln-Way High School deshelves Sabra hummus – Chicago, Illinois

March, 2011 – National Cathedral gift store affiliated with Episcopal Church removes Ahava products after complaints from patrons – Washington, DC

July 15, 2010 – Olympia Food Co-op removes Israeli goods from shelves; first US store to institute boycott – Olympia, Washington

January 18, 2010 – Costco stops selling Ahava

Municipal & State Victories

June 11, 2017 – Sacramento Transit Drops G4S! – Sacramento, California

April 6, 2017 – Portland City Council Permanently Halts All Investments in Private Corporations Following Historic Campaign – Portland, Oregon

December 21, 2016 – In Historic Vote, City of Portland Votes to Temporarily Cease Investments in All Corporate Securities Including Occupation Profiteer Caterpillar and Prison Profiteer Wells Fargo – Portland, Oregon

July 19, 2016 – City of Berkeley divests from G4S – Berkeley, CA

Spring 2016 – Denver Water Board Drops G4S Following BDS Campaign – Denver, CO

March 17, 2016 – Portland’s Socially Responsible Investment Committee Recommends City Boycott of Caterpillar – Portland, OR

January 2016 – Delaware Neighbors Against the Occupation Defeats Anti-BDS Bill – New Castle County, DE

October 12, 2015 – Portland Human Rights Commission Unanimously Endorses Placing 4 Companies on No-Buy List, First Step Towards Becoming Occupation Free City – Portland, Oregon

April, 2015 – Oregon Dept of Justice Mandates that SodaStream Change Misleading Product Labels – Portland, Oregon

December 3, 2014 – Baltimore Rejects Veolia following coalition campaign – Baltimore, Maryland

November, 2014 – Durham severs ties with G4S – Durham, North Carolina

January 8, 2014 – Veolia loses Massachusetts commuter rail contract – Boston, Massachusetts

October 29, 2013 – St. Louis Dumps Veolia – St. Louis, Missouri

January, 2013 – Veolia Withdraws from California Water Contract Bidding -Yolo County (Woodland and Davis), California

Corporate Announcements

Labor, Diplomatic, & Other

August 1, 2016 – Movement for Black Lives Platform Calls for BDS

June 6, 2016 – Green Party Candidate for President Endorses BDS

April 22, 2016 – New York University Graduate Employee Union Becomes First Private University Labor Union to Support Full BDS – New York, NY

April 14, 2016 – UMass Amherst Graduate Employee Union (UAW) Overwhelmingly Endorses BDS – Amherst, Massachusetts

October 22, 2015 – Connecticut AFL-CIO Convention Calls on National Federation to Adopt BDS – Connecticut

August 16-20, 2015 – United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers (UE) Becomes First National Union in U.S. to Endorse BDS

August, 2015 – Over 1,000 Black activists, artists, scholars, students and organizations sign Black Solidarity Statement with Palestine, endorsing BDS

March 3, 2015 – 60 U.S. elected officials publicly #SkiptheSpeech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, effectively boycotting him

December 10, 2014 – Members of University of California Graduate Student-Worker’s Union UAW 2865 ratify resolution to join BDS movement – State of California

November, 2014 – Dream Defenders endorse BDS at National Conference

Fall, 2014 – West Coast “Block the Boat” Port Actions Prevent Zim Lines from Docking – West Coast

July 7, 2010 – California International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 10 Branch refuses to unload Israeli cargo ship – Oakland, California

October, 2008 – Oxfam International publicly denounces donor Lev Leviev due to support for Israeli settlements

June 21, 2008 – UNICEF severs ties with Israeli mogul Lev Leviev over settlement building

November 28, 2005 – Greens, Calling for Palestinian Rights, Urge Divestment from Israel

Do you see something missing? Click here to let us know so we can add it! (U.S. only please) 

Logo by Joel Reinstein

Thanks also to the BDS National Committee, Global Exchange Economic Activism for Palestine, American Friends Service Committee,Electronic Intifada, Steering Committee member Rahim Kurwa, and Rob Flahive for their research, reporting, and other contributions making this list possible.