by Jeremy Love, National Field Organizer
On Sunday, February 8th, Back from the Brink supporters and newcomers alike gathered at the Community Church of Durham for Nuclear Weapons Now: The Threat & Opportunity. It was Super Bowl Sunday, and about 35 people chose to show up anyway. That meant a lot. In a culture that so often trains us to think in terms of winners and losers, it was grounding to spend the afternoon together in a different spirit, one rooted in care, courage, and a shared commitment to protect life.
We heard from Dr. Ira Helfand about how real the risk of nuclear war is right now and how unimaginably catastrophic the consequences would be. It was heavy, no question. And it was also clarifying. This is not inevitable. We are not powerless. The path forward starts by telling the truth about what these weapons are and then choosing, together, to act.
Historian Carleigh Beriont brought us into the lived history of U.S. nuclear weapons testing in the Marshall Islands and the long shadow it still casts over people’s bodies, families, and future. One image I have not been able to shake is her description of “jellyfish babies,” a heartbreaking phrase survivors have used to describe severe birth defects tied to radiation exposure. It cut through the abstraction and put the humanity of this issue right in the center of the room, exactly where it belongs.
After the presentations, we took a moment to center and ground ourselves, taking a couple deep breaths as a group, then moved into closing the event by talking about meaningful ways folks could get involved and take action. Our hope is that gatherings like this can happen in communities everywhere, because the antidote to nuclear fear is not silence, it’s organized care. If this update resonates, consider it a gentle nudge: bring a few people together where you are, learn, breathe, and take your next step with us.
Find a local Back from the Brink Hub near you: https://preventnuclearwar.org/join-a-local-hub/
