Seventy-five years ago this week, the United States dropped nuclear bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki killing roughly 214,000 people by the end of 1945, with more deaths and illnesses from radiation exposure in the years to come. Some survivors, known as hibakusha are #stillhere fighting for a world free of nuclear weapons – as are Back From the Brink organizers, endorsers and activists like you from around the country who are part of this powerful campaign dedicated to making sure that what happened to the hibakusha never happens to anyone ever again.
REMEMBER HIROSHIMA & NAGASAKI: TUNE IN AND TAKE ACTION
To commemorate these anniversaries and uplift the voices of hibakusha, Back from the Brink is taking part in a two-day national virtual event. At 1:30 pm ET on Thursday August 6th, we will unveil our new video (see below) about our campaign and a few of our organizers will share remarks. Check out the coalition website for more information about the event, and see the full list of presentations, including by a number of Back From the Brink endorsers.
SIGN THE HIBAKUSHA APPEAL
Written by a leading group of hibakusha, this global appeal calls for the total elimination of nuclear weapons. As the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki warn: “We are badly off course in efforts to honor the plea of the hibakusha and end the nuclear threat.” We encourage you to share this petition widely, to show that the people of the United States stand in solidarity with hibakusha on these tragic anniversaries.
CHECK OUT OUR NEW LOGO, NEW WEBSITE, NEW VIDEO
We are very excited to share Back From the Brink’s new look and web content with all of you. Our new logo is a fresh, positive look that effectively captures the energy, activism and optimism of this campaign. Likewise, our newly re-designed website is loaded with great information and organizing resources. A special shout-out to Denise Duffield, Associate Director of Physicians for Social Responsibility – Los Angeles for all of her hard work and leadership on this massive project. On the home page you will find Back From the Brink’s brand new 60-second campaign video which, along with our new logo, was created by the highly talented multimedia team at the Union of Concerned Scientists. We greatly appreciate your sharing this new content with your networks on social media.
COMMITTED TO CONFRONTING RACISM
Since our last message, a small group of Back from the Brink organizers have begun meeting to help us answer the question: How can we work together to make Back from the Brink more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and anti-racist? We are now working to develop an action plan so we can live into these commitments and we welcome suggestions from all about ways in which we can do this work well and intentionally. We are particularly interested in how we make connections at the local/community level, show up for and support people of color in our communities and how we re-define and re-imagine safety and security in our communities and in our country.
MORE RESOLUTIONS & PROCLAMATIONS
Even in the midst of COVID-19, four municipalities have recently passed resolutions in support of our campaign: Carlsbad (CA), Barrington (NH), Evanston (IL), and Berkeley (CA), and the mayors of Des Moines (IA), Syracuse (NY), and Menlo Park (CA) have issued proclamations in support of Back From the Brink. Other resolution efforts are underway. What’s happening in your communities? Let us know how we can help you initiate efforts like this in your city or town.
STOPPING U.S. PLANS TO RESUME NUCLEAR TESTING
Finally, some good news — the US House of Representatives recently voted to stop the Trump administration’s plan to resume explosive nuclear weapons testing. That’s a huge victory, but we have work to do to make sure that victory holds when the Congress finishes up work on next year’s military budget later this year. Plus, it’s terrific that more members of Congress are finally stepping up to make the case that we should be redirecting tax dollars away from egregious nuclear weapons and Pentagon spending toward other critical human and community needs.
Back From the Brink is a grassroots campaign which relies on you, your activism, your passion, and your commitment. In these tumultuous months ahead we look forward to working with you and doing all we can to make our communities and world a safer place. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@preventnuclearwar.org
