The Benedictine sisters of Mount St. Scholastica, based in Atchison, Kansas, are making waves as some of corporate America's most determined shareholder activists. These 80 nuns have challenged giants like Google, Target, and Citigroup on diverse issues ranging from AI regulation to Indigenous rights. Sister Barbara McCracken, head of the nuns' corporate responsibility program, acknowledged, "Some of these companies, they just really hate us."
Their investments are often small—sometimes as little as $2,000; the nuns have been putting their money into big-name company stocks since the 1990s, when they decided they needed to start socking away money to care for their aging nuns. Their activism extends to hot-button issues such as human rights and climate change. This past spring and summer, they pressed companies like Chevron, Amazon, and Netflix with resolutions addressing ethical practices and transparency. Though the resolutions generally don't pass, they serve as educational tools and raise significant awareness. Sister Susan Mika, who coordinates their efforts, emphasized their endurance in these endeavors.
Grounded in Catholic social teaching, the sisters use their modest investments to advocate for environmental sustainability and corporate accountability. Living by the motto "pray and work," they pool resources to support both their ministries and activism. They often zero in on climate change in their shareholder resolutions, and they carry those beliefs to their own 53 acres of land, which feature solar panels, beehives, composting, and community gardens. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
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