Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and nuclear saber rattling continue to bring the threat of nuclear war into the foreground of public attention. Nuclear hawks inside and outside of government are scheming to use the invasion as an excuse to further accelerate U.S. nuclear weapons development, a response that intensifies global nuclear dangers rather than reducing them.
It is clear to us that nuclear safety means eliminating nuclear weapons globally. In this historical moment, it is we grassroots peacemakers who must seize the initiative and demonstrate to the public that nuclear abolition is possible. We have a clear vehicle for our positive actions in the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
To this end, Tri-Valley CAREs and other grassroots groups have formed a collaborative to launch a series of events in June and July to elevate the TPNW and make it more visible to U.S. media and the public alike. And, we have created some tools that everyone can use.
Read on… and take action!
First, Sign the Statement as an individual. Tri-Valley CAREs has already signed on as one of a growing list of 120+ Endorsers of the Nuclear Ban Treaty Collaborative campaign to raise media attention in the U.S. to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Once you have signed as an individual, if you belong to another group please see if they will sign as an organization.
This sign-on statement comes at a time of heightened nuclear threats – yet it also comes at an exciting time leading up to the First Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW in Vienna, Austria on June 21-23, 2022.
Your (and our) actions – and the actions of allies and groups across the country – are an important part of this grassroots campaign’s strategy to encourage national media to cover the First Meeting of States parties and report on the TPNW more broadly.
We urge you to help maximize the impact and effectiveness of the sign-on statement (linked above) that you have signed in the following ways:
- Join us for a workshop: Local media work will raise awareness in your area and boost opportunities for national media attention. In the lead-up to the nationwide release of the campaign Statement (see below for details), Participate in the Media & Press Release Workshop on Thursday June 2 (4pm PST, 5pm MST, 6pm CST, 7pm EST) to get everything you need to know to create and send out effective and impactful press releases, and get energized by this shared nation-wide effort! Yasmeen Silva will lead this 90-minute workshop. Register here, and share the workshop with your other networks!
- Join us for a Public Action: We will bring our TPNW banners to the gates of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to mark the national release of the statement that you – and we – have signed. Tuesday June 7 is the day the campaign Statement will be released nation-wide. At 9 AM we will read the Statement at a nuclear site (LLNL) to illuminate that abolition, not more warheads, is the true solution to the threat of nuclear war. Actions like ours across the country at military bases, nuclear weapons sites, federal buildings and other relevant locations will serve as a building block for broader attention to the TPNW, both in the media and in the general public. We will send a press release to our local media; if you can’t come to Livermore please do the same thing in your community.
To recap, use this campaign Statement as an organizing tool: Sign the Statement as an individual to make sure you get campaign updates, or as an official signer for another organization you’re part of. (Time is of the essence.) Spread the word, and encourage individuals and organizations to join this effort!
We want to amplify each other’s efforts, so share your stories, photos, articles, etc. We’re on Twitter (@nukebancollab), Instagram (@nukebancollab), and Facebook (Nuclear Ban Treaty Collaborative) – and, by June 7, we’ll have a place to share your work on our website.
Now is a key moment to promote the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Join us in this grassroots campaign! For more information, contact Sofia Rose Wolman (campaign manager, Nuclear Ban Treaty Collaborative) at [email protected]
Please stay tuned – we are also planning a letters to the editor push locally and nationally to turn public attention to the TPNW in advance of the First Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW that begins on June 21.
Onward, together, to a world free on nuclear weapons!
