At Back from the Brink (BftB), we know that nuclear weapons are a local issue. We walk that walk and talk that talk every day. We have a stubborn belief in local organizing and activism and building power from the ground up. We demand a voice and say on issues that impact our lives, our communities, and our futures. Nuclear weapons are not some “distant thing” nor “someone else’s business.”
April is Earth Month — what better time to reaffirm and strengthen our campaign’s commitment to engaging our communities and our local, county, and state elected officials? Let’s celebrate humanity and our planet and connect the struggle to combat climate change and protect the environment with our campaign to prevent nuclear war and abolish nuclear weapons.
Will You Help Get Your Local/State Elected Officials to Speak Out?
In 2024, a major BftB priority is to get more mayors, city councilors, state senators and representatives, county commissioners, etc. to be strong advocates for nuclear weapons abolition and to more regularly speak out and show leadership on the issue. Why? These elected officials share a responsibility to keep you, their constituents, safe and secure, and their voice and influence matters a great deal to Washington decision makers.
Here are some simple actions you might take:
Are They On Board?
Over 80 cities, towns, county, and state legislative bodies have passed BftB resolutions and hundreds of local, state, and county elected officials have endorsed our campaign’s five-point policy platform.
Check to see if your community and elected officials are already in support of BftB’s policies. If they are, the simple message is, “thank you for your past support, we need you to do more and speak out on the need to reduce nuclear threats.”
Nudge on Social Media
If you’re on social media (Facebook, X, Instagram, etc.) post to the sites of your elected officials (including your members of Congress) to ask them to speak out on the issue of nuclear war and why it is important for them to do so. Here’s a sample post for X:
Nuclear weapons are a local issue affecting ALL of us, our community, and our future. @[Local and/or State Official Social Media Handle] please speak out for sensible policies to help prevent #nuclearwar and pursue disarmament w/ Russia, China & other nuclear weapons states @BackfromBrink
Write a Personal Letter
Telling one’s elected officials what you care about and what you want them to do as your representative is what democracy is all about. Take 10 minutes and write and mail (or hand deliver) a personal letter to your mayor, city councilors/select board members, and state representative/senators. Tell them why nuclear weapons are a local issue and ask them to publicly express their support for Back from the Brink and our policy prescriptions via social media or a public statement or proclamation. Consider tying your message/ask to Earth Day, which falls on Monday, April 22 this year.
Organize a Group
Talk to friends, family members, coworkers, fellow activists, and leaders of local nonprofits and invite them into a conversation about nuclear weapons and Back from the Brink. Work with the BftB team (contact Jeremy Love at jeremy@preventnuclearwar.org) to schedule a guest BftB expert/speaker or request help in organizing a local coalition and planning local public education and advocacy efforts, including meeting with your local/state officials or trying to get a BftB resolution passed in your region.
BftB is here to help. Some of the actions we described above can seem intimidating. It’s hard to take that first step and know how best to go about this. That’s why we’re here. Email Jeremy (jeremy@preventnuclearwar.org) and we’ll do all we can to help you and connect you with others in your community.
P.S. The Back from the Brink website has lots of useful information and tools including this local organizing toolkit we developed a couple of years ago in partnership with one of our coalition partners, the Union of Concerned Scientists.
