Jennifer and Edith Bell at the Pittsburgh Women’s March

By Edith Bell, Coordinator, WILPF Pittsburgh branch

The WILPF Pittsburgh branch is working with Veterans for Peace of Western PAthe Thomas Merton Centerand other groups to stop PNC Bank, a regional bank, from financing the manufacture of nuclear weapons.  Several additional organizations have endorsed our campaign.

Our Stop Banking the Bomb campaign against PNC Bank is one part of an international strategy to get the US government to listen to its people. PNC Bank has loaned $1.186 billion dollars to eight corporations who manufacture nuclear weapons. As the seventh largest bank in the US, we believe if PNC Bank “divests” of these immoral loans, they will send a powerful message to the US government and the world.

We are currently making two demands of PNC Bank. First, that it “divest” of their financial commitments to those eight corporations involved in the manufacture of nuclear weapons. Second, that PNC adopt a corporate policy never to loan money to or in any way financially support corporations involved in the manufacture of or sale of nuclear weapons.

We had one meeting with the staff of PNC, and promises of more, but since we started monthly informational pickets in front of their headquarters, they won’t meet with us. We have held two pickets so far and plan keeping it going. In the planning stages is public closing of accounts. Other actions are also in the works.

For more information and photos see the Facebook page Stop Banking the Bomb, PNC Bank Divestment Campaign.

Pittsburgh WILPF also tabled at the 20th annual Summit Against Racism, a daylong conference with close to 1,000 participants at many workshops. See the picture below, of a participant browsing through our displays.