Hiroshima-Nagasaki Events Reflect an Outpouring of Concern August 23, 2024

With the atomic test called “Trinity,” the United States ushered in an era of new and formerly unimaginable dangers. Within a month after Trinity, United States armed forces wiped out two cities in Japan along with tens of thousands of their inhabitants — men, women, children. Soon after the Red Cross arrived in Hiroshima to attempt to mitigate the humanitarian catastrophe, the organization began its advocacy for nuclear weapons abolition. Thus began the long struggle over nuclear weapons, and humankind has been grappling with the nuclear weapons risks ever since. The stories and images that emerged from the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings formed the core of the nuclear taboo that has held until today. 

Most Americans learn about the bombings as part of their education. Therefore, August 6 and 9 provide an opportunity to remind Americans of the immense threat nuclear weapons still pose to humans. To prevent future catastrophes, it is vital that we remember what happened.  

Within the disarmament community, PSR has taken on the task of tracking Hiroshima and Nagasaki commemoration events around the USA. This year, Michaela Soucy and Ethan Schmidt, intrepid summer interns to PSR’s Nuclear Weapons Abolition Program, painstakingly tracked down the details of seventy-two remembrance events in 19 states and the District of Columbia, many of them organized by PSR chapters. The resulting Hiroshima-Nagasaki Events Calendar, hosted at psr.org, is easy to access and to share — over email, in newsletters, or on social media. In this way, PSR takes a measure of the outpouring of concern, promotes solidarity among the local organizers, and helps citizens find their way to a local or virtual event.

Again this year, PSR endorsed and participated in the virtual #CranesforOurFuture campaign, led by Nuclear Threat Initiative with staff support from the highly-capable PSR alum Jasmine Owens — which reached “millions of people around the world with messages of peace, hope, resilience, and creativity.”  

The wide variety of activities and events — including vigils, film screenings, public gatherings, art exhibitions, nonviolent direct actions and Toro Nagashi lantern floating ceremonies — share a common theme: Hiroshima-Nagasaki: Never Again! 

Watch the documentary “The Vow From Hiroshima” at PBS. This film shares an intimate, uplifting glimpse into the life of Setsuko Thurlow, an 85-year-old survivor of the atomic bombing who dedicated her life to peace and the elimination of nuclear weapons. This hour long film captures Setsuko’s extraordinary journey from ashes under the mushroom cloud in Hiroshima to the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize speech on behalf of ICAN.    

Our Day of Peace campaign ends in just a few days. Until August 30, 2024, our Board has committed to matching each dollar donated, up to $10,000, DOUBLING the impact of your generosity. Will you join us by making a gift today? Together we can have a greater impact and by joining us in our Day of Peace campaign your support will go TWICE as far.

Gallery