Divest from Death, Invest in Our Field

Prompted by innumerable global catastrophes, including intensifying fascism in the US, genocide and apartheid in Palestine, and climatic upheaval, we, the undersigned members of the Society for Music Theory, call on the SMT to end its investment in entities that profit from enabling and perpetuating such events. 

The SMT Policy on Investment mandates exploring professional management after its portfolio reaches $1M, which it achieved in 2025. As members whose scholarly, service, and financial contributions empower the SMT, we assert a collective responsibility to reset the priorities of our professional academic society. 

In particular, we call on the SMT to immediately:

1. divest from companies that facilitate and enable state violence and repression, war and occupation, and severe violations of international law and human rights, including the following industries:

• Weapons manufacturing

• Mass incarceration

• Border militarization

• Immigrant surveillance and detention

2. divest from companies that are driving climate change by extracting and refining fossil fuels.

3. adopt an investment policy that incorporates points (1) and (2) above. 

For information on the SMT’s current investments and alternatives, please read our zine here.