This is a season in which we celebrate freedom and independence. Last week, we celebrated Juneteenth – the annual commemoration of the emancipation of African Americans in the United States from chattel slavery.
Next week, we mark the 250th anniversary of our country’s founding, and our Declaration of Independence from despotism and the pursuit of our inalienable rights as human beings.
Among those universal rights is freedom from fear — the right for all people, everywhere to live a life of peace and security which can only truly happen when humanity is free from its greatest existential threat: nuclear weapons.
What’s required of us? Many more people must come to believe that the abolition of nuclear weapons is both necessary AND possible, be able to envision a better, safer future, and become increasingly willing to work hard to protect who and what we love, and our beautiful home, planet Earth.
A tall task indeed in these challenging times. And we believe it all starts with information and knowledge.
Enter the Back from the Brink Podcast, our newest learning resource, designed for anyone who hopes a nuclear weapon is never used again, but who may feel like they don’t know enough or how they can make a difference on this issue.
Launched on June 11th, this seven-episode series is hosted by award-winning journalist Ryann Blackshere Vargas, Back from the Brink’s media consultant. A new episode will be released every Thursday until July 23rd. You can find the show on our website, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
The series features stories and insights from experts, policymakers, and activists. All of them are passionate about this issue, believe abolition is possible, and want to help build a constituency of informed nuclear disarmament advocates who understand how we can make progress.
This podcast and our campaign is about changing the story we tell ourselves about nuclear weapons. One that exposes the lies that we have been told about nuclear weapons and the myth that they keep us safe, that we are stuck with them, and some “good” countries get to have them and other “bad” countries don’t.
Our new story is about the future we want to build together and how we are going to do that — one that is informed and inspired by the work and commitment of so many who are on the front lines. It must be a story of hope and possibility.
In our first episode, Molly McGinty from International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War talked about “duty of care” — an important principle and motivator. We feel a deep responsibility to inform and empower people, and to protect all we hold dear.
So we hope you give the Back from the Brink Podcast a listen and join us in building a future free from the existential threat of nuclear weapons.
