On April 22nd, the town of La Conner, Washington became the first town in Washington State to pass a Back from the Brink resolution!
This victory is first and foremost because of the hard work of Julia Hurd and the local organization she works with, No More Bombs.
Julia shared, “I’m grateful to Councilperson MaryLee Chamberlain and the La Conner Town Council and the town of La Conner itself for understanding how important this effort is. As MaryLee said, ‘It feels like putting action to a tremendous value we all have.’ Tracy Powell, a long-time local peace activist said, ‘I’m really proud of the town for its soul and conscience and for speaking up for peace.’ La Conner has a unique history of peace activism. We all met at the ‘Peace Park’ prior to the council meeting.”
La Conner is located in Skagit County, which has been a Nuclear Free Zone since 1985. The ordinance was passed during the height of the Nuclear Freeze Movement, following a successful grassroots effort led by Skagit Citizens for Nuclear Disarmament, with 62% of voters approving the measure. Julia was part of this original campaign, collecting signatures to help get the initiative on the ballot.
Julia reached out to Harry Katz, an organizing consultant for Back from the Brink, after seeing his presentation at a Northwest Against Nuclear Weapons coalition meeting late last year, where she expressed interest in starting a resolution campaign in La Conner.
Sean Arent of Washington PSR and Northwest Against Nuclear Weapons also provided valuable support, including for the town council hearing.
Onwards to more Back from the Brink resolutions and a flourishing anti-nuclear weapons movement in Washington state!
In the News:
- La Conner to D.C.: Small town calls for big peace (La Conner Community News)
- La Conner Town Council passes resolution renouncing nuclear weapons (Skagit Valley Herald)
- La Conner passes a nuclear disarmament resolution (Salish Current)
- La Conner, Bellingham council members get it right: Let’s mitigate risks of nuclear war (Cascadia Daily News)
Want to get involved in local nuclear disarmament activities? Find and join a local Back from the Brink Hub >
