Date: Wed, 9 Apr 2008 16:20:34 -0400
From: Unitarian Universalist Association <uu...@uua.org>
To: uu...@lists.uua.org
Subject: [UUA-L] Join the UUA in the fight to end Darfur genocide!
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Join the Unitarian Universalist Association, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, and Investors Against Genocide (IAG) in the fight to end the Darfur genocide by saying NO to investments in genocide.

If you are a mutual fund investor in Fidelity funds, or those from 50 other companies, you have a vote in the way your money is managed.

Investors Against Genocide (http://investorsagainstgenocide.googlepages.com/) has submitted shareholder proposals on genocide-free investing to more than 50 mutual funds. Shareholders now have the unprecedented opportunity to vote their proxies to tell mutual fund managers that they don't want their money invested in companies that -- directly or indirectly -- support genocide.

UUA Treasurer Tim Brennan, who votes proxies for participants in the UUA’s retirement plan, will be voting in support of IAG’s resolution for specific funds that are options for UUA and congregational staff.  Brennan explains, “As Unitarian Universalists, we cannot accept genocide as a necessary evil or as a side effect of successful investing. We have the opportunity to use our financial assets to witness against the unspeakable evil of genocide. We believe it is our moral duty to do so.”  A full statement by Brennan was included in last month’s IAG audio press conference (see http://investorsagainstgenocide.googlepages.com/2008-0319TimBrennanss...).

Proxy materials and proxy ballots that include this shareholder proposal are now being distributed by Fidelity for shareholder meetings on April 16th and May 14th.  You can vote your proxy ballot up until April 16th if you own any of these Fidelity funds:
- Canada - proposal 5 on the proxy ballot
- Contrafund - proposal 3 (deferred from 3/19)
- Diversified International - proposal 5
- International Discovery - proposal 5
- Low Priced Stock - proposal 3 (deferred from 3/19)
- Mid-Cap Stock - proposal 5
- Puritan - proposal 3 (deferred from 3/19)
- Overseas Fund - proposal 5

The first shareholder vote on this resolution took place during Fidelity’s first round of shareholder meetings in March.  Although activists expected to lose that vote, they were surprised by the stunning number of proxy voters who supported the resolution.  IAG, the UUA/UUSC, and partner organizations are hoping to build on that momentum in upcoming votes. Media coverage of the UUA and UUSC’s roles in the March votes can be found at Boston Globe (http://www.boston.com/business/personalfinance/articles/2008/03/20/fi...),  Jewish Advocate (http://www.thejewishadvocate.com/this_weeks_issue/news/?content_id=4662), and Social Funds (http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2489.html).

Another vote on genocide-free investing scheduled on May 14th for additional Fidelity funds.  Votes at other major mutual fund companies will follow in coming months. To see the latest list of mutual funds with votes pending on genocide-free investing, and to review a complete list of media coverage on IAG’s divestment efforts, please visit Investors Against Genocide (http://investorsagainstgenocide.googlepages.com/).  

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