Under the theme, “Nuclear Abolition or Extinction? The Choice is Yours,” the gathering brought remembrance of Hiroshima and Nagasaki directly to one of the two U.S. laboratories where nuclear weapons are designed. Participants honored the lives lost to the atomic bombings while calling attention to the continued expansion and modernization of the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal today.
The program featured speakers John Burroughs of the Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy and Western States Legal Foundation, Tanvi Kardile and Anoushka Raj of Tri-Valley Communities Against a Radioactive Environment, Grace Morizawa of Asian Americans for Peace and Justice, Fr. Thomas Bonacci of The Interfaith Peace Project, and peace activist Patricia Ellsberg, widow of Pentagon Papers whistleblower and nuclear abolition advocate Daniel Ellsberg. Speakers connected the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with the nuclear dangers we face today, including the development of new nuclear weapons, enormous federal spending on the weapons complex, and the continuing environmental and human consequences of nuclear weapons production.
The gathering also included a powerful performance by taiko drummers. Following the rally, participants moved into nonviolent direct action outside the Lab. Activists entered the roadway, joined hands and formed a line across the road, blocking it for approximately 30 minutes as an act of peaceful resistance to the work taking place behind the Lab’s gates.
Thirteen participants were cited and released.
As the number of surviving hibakusha, the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, continues to decline, their demand that humanity ensure these weapons are never used again must be carried forward by new generations. Tri-Valley CAREs thanks everyone who joined us at the gates, spoke, performed, participated in nonviolent direct action, volunteered, watched the livestream, and stood with us in demanding a nuclear-weapons-free future.
Watch a recording of the August 6 commemoration and action here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAt3EDl5a3s
Click HERE for a printable version of the flyer
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