From Ann Froines, Back from the Brink – CT
Peace and nuclear disarmament activists in Connecticut, mainly from the Greater Hartford and Greater New Haven areas, wrote and distributed an “Open Letter to the Connecticut Delegation, U.S. House of Representatives,” urging them to sign on to House Resolution 77 (H. Res. 77), an organizing vehicle of the Back from the Brink campaign. Connecticut has five members of the House of Representatives, including Rep. Rosa DeLauro, chairperson of the House Appropriations Committee.
The letter, one page long, concluded: “This time of local wars and heightened global tensions calls for urgent action before the unthinkable happens. Your leadership can be a critical step to help shift U.S. policy away from a costly nuclear arms race with its possible disastrous consequences.”
We adopted this “Open Letter” tactic in summer 2024 after some weeks of trying to get meetings with our Representatives. In some cases, voters were able to speak to aides about the resolution; in others, including Rosa DeLauro, there was no response to letters sent directly to offices requesting a chance for voters supporting nuclear disarmament to meet with the Representative or an aide. So far, none of the five Representatives has endorsed H. Res. 77.
The “Open Letter” became an educational and outreach tool in the form of a flyer that could publicize the Back from the Brink campaign for H. Res. 77, and at the same time, was a method of gathering signatures of support: dozens of citizens, faith leaders, other peace groups, and some community organizations signed on in August and September. We distributed the letter at events on August 6 and 9 to commemorate the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The letter with names of signers will be sent to our representatives after the November 5 elections.
A copy of the letter is available here.
