Advocates rally outside City Hall, urging Council to consider ethical investment policy
Open letter signed by nearly 40 local businesses, faith leaders and organizations calls for Alexandria to divest from companies tied to human rights violations
Community members held a vigil at Market Square Tuesday evening, calling on City Council to adopt an ethical investment policy that would make Alexandria the first city in Virginia to divest from companies they say are complicit in human rights abuses abroad.
The demonstration, organized by Alexandria for Palestinian Human Rights, was attended by about two dozen people and was timed to coincide with the Council’s legislative meeting, but was not connected to any item on the evening’s agenda. Public comment is not permitted during legislative sessions; residents may address the Council at public hearings, with the next scheduled for December 13.
Supporters have raised the issue during public comment periods over the past two years. Under Council rules, members cannot respond to or discuss matters raised during public hearings.
At the vigil, organizers released an open letter signed by nearly 40 local businesses, organizations, and community figures urging Council to “establish an ethical investment policy that puts human rights first.”
“To divest from the ongoing horror is to invest in global and local safety. Our silence invests in corrupt regimes everywhere,” said Amy Horowitz, an Alexandria resident and Senior Israel Studies Fellow at Indiana University. “The genocide in Gaza is an unholy alliance that keeps no one safe anywhere.”
Signatories include former City Councilman Mo Seifeldein, former Alexandria Poet Laureate Zeina Azzam, Rabbi Elizabeth Goldstein, and Jon Liss, co-executive director of New Virginia Majority. Former Al Jazeera producer Sana Saeed also signed.
Local businesses backing the letter include Friends to Lovers Bookstore, Arabicus Books & Media, Milk & Honey, and Thrive Bodywork. Faith and advocacy organizations include Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center, Jewish Voice for Peace-DC Metro, American Muslims for Palestine, and the Virginia Coalition for Human Rights.
The letter invokes Alexandria’s civil rights history, noting that the first Civil Rights-era library sit-in took place in the city and that Alexandria divested from apartheid South Africa in 1985.
“Alexandria’s residents have a legacy of fighting for justice and equity, like in 1985 when City Council stood against South African apartheid,” said Azzam. “With the rise of authoritarianism in the US and around the world, it feels more important than ever for our local governments to take bold, forward-thinking action.”
Organizers say city tax dollars are invested in companies, including Lockheed Martin, General Electric, Alphabet, and Amazon, through city contracts and retirement plans. The group says those companies are also involved in contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The letter references a September 2025 United Nations report that charged Israel with genocide in Gaza, as well as findings from organizations including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
It remains unclear whether or when the Council will take up the matter as a formal agenda item.
