Tri-Valley CAREs
Communities Against a Radioactive Environment
Posted on Wednesday, July 15, 2020
Posted by Marylia Kelley
Before the United States used nuclear bombs on the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, they were tested on the people of New Mexico. Specifically, the U.S. government tested a prototype of the plutonium bomb that was to be dropped on Nagasaki in the desert at Alamogordo in New Mexico, in the Tularosa Basin. Test preparations were shrouded in secrecy, and people living in the area were neither warned nor consulted about the impending nuclear detonation.
Trinity Downwinders are commemorating the 75th Anniversary since the first nuclear test was conducted anywhere in the world and bringing attention to the fact that New Mexicans still have not received Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) benefits.
RECA was passed in 1990 by the US Government to provide health care coverage and compensation to downwinders from other parts of the country but has never included the people of New Mexico. The fund has paid out over 2.3 Billion Dollars in reparations to downwinders of the Nevada Test site but never to New Mexico downwinders. It also provides the best health care coverage available.
Trinity Downwinders will commemorate the New Mexicans who have died from cancer and other radiation exposure related diseases during this event and read firsthand accounts of the bomb blast.
Additionally:
- To mark this solemn anniversary, a number of our colleague organizations are are organizing/participating in Trinity Test-related events. For example, also on the July 16th anniversary, at 10 AM Pacific Time, you can participate virtually in Leave Uranium in the Ground!, a launch of the Uranium Atlas. Beyond Nuclear and Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung organized this event that features speakers including Tina Cordova (Trinity Downwinders, USA) and Larry King (Navajo Nation, USA).
- Sample social media posts about the 75th anniversaries are on pages 26 + 27 of this toolkit.