WILPF AZ Tucson Branch: Two Tucson Events Commemorate Bombing of Hiroshima

Gloria McMillan
WILPF Tucson AZ Branch

Full House Commemorates the 80th Anniversary of Hiroshima Bombing in Tucson

Our Tucson WILPF branch, in collaboration with the Unitarian Church of Tucson, hosted an event on Sunday, Aug. 3, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Hiroshima. This event was sponsored by the Social Justice Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson and received support from its ministers, Rev. Jamili Omar, and the dedicated UUCT kitchen crew, led by Margo Newhouse. Other WILPF Tucson members also contributed to the event’s success. 

Tucson branch member Georgia Conroy facilitated a stenciling activity featuring Japanese Kanji characters for words related to peace. We also received assistance from Tucson Branch Chair Deb Livingston and member Emily Ricketts. Approximately 90 people attended the event. 

Local activist and community singing leader Ted Warmbrand performed several of his own songs related to Hiroshima, along with songs addressing nuclear weapons more broadly. Among the songs, the group joined Ted in singing about needing nuclear weapons to protect us from “pink elephants” and the timeless spiritual “Down by the Riverside / Ain’t Gonna Study War No More.”

Hiroshima Bombings 80th Anniversary Event on AZPM NPR Radio in Tucson

On Aug. 6, Gloria McMillan was interviewed about the event she coordinated on Aug. 3 at the Unitarian Church on E. 22nd St. Over 90 people attended, and photos from the event are available on AZPM Radio’s website. You can listen to the interview here.

The main interviewee was Professor Minoru Yanagihashi, a retired faculty member from the University of Arizona’s East Asian Studies Department. He was 13 years old in 1945 and was in Hawaii during World War II. As a historian, Professor Yanagihashi discussed the controversy surrounding the decision to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki, affirming his support for our friend Hideko Tamura and the Hiroshima Mayors for Peace, who advocate for peace at their annual events and daily efforts. He shared that World War II was more traumatic for his parents, who had family in Hiroshima Prefecture, than for him as a second-generation Japanese American. Additionally, Professor Yanagihashi addressed the differences in how Japanese Americans from Hawaii experience anti-Japanese bias compared to Japanese Americans on the mainland. He explores these topics in his book, The Japanese American Experience: Change and Continuity, which is available on Kindle. 

During the interview, AZPM Radio host Mark McLemore expressed his sadness over the fact that often innocent children and adults suffer due to their governments’ actions in warfare. He lamented the principle of retribution in war and questioned why people believe they are getting the whole story when they are not. 

In response to his observations about innocent war victims, Gloria noted, “Propaganda thrives because of the system of information dissemination.” Gloria referenced an old film called “Powers of Ten,” created by the Eames husband and wife filmmaking team, which is available for free on YouTube.

The film illustrates scale, from the very small to the cosmic and back. When people understand scale, they may recognize that narratives close to home receive significant attention, while stories from those far away or in conflict with our cultural perspectives are often overlooked and only mentioned briefly. This pattern of information dissemination leads to a scarcity of knowledge about those who are distant from us. 

WILPF, with its global focus, seeks to address this loss of information and bias. Events like ours and media interviews, such as those on AZPM, can make a difference. As members of WILPF, we cannot afford to remain disconnected from the media, so please continue to engage. We wish everyone peace and all the best from WILPF’s Tucson branch.

WILPF NC Triangle Branch: Triangle Branch Commemorates 80th Anniversary of Hiroshima

Lucy Lewis
WILPF Triangle NC Branch

The WILPF Triangle (NC) branch commemorated the 80th anniversary of the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Aug. 6 at Peace and Justice Plaza in Chapel Hill, NC. Approximately two dozen members of the local peace community attended the event.

After the opening remarks, the names of Hiroshima victims were read aloud. Following each name, a bell was rung, and participants stepped forward to hang an origami peace crane. The program also included firsthand accounts of the bombing, poetry readings, and solemn songs. A moment of silence at 8:15 a.m. marked the exact time of the detonation of the “Little Boy” bomb over Hiroshima. Supporting organizations included NC Peace Action, the Eisenhower Chapter 157 Veterans for Peace, and Triangle NC Raging Grannies. 

“It’s more important than ever now, 80 years after the US bombing of Hiroshima, and the resulting deaths of tens of thousands of people, that we gather to remember and commemorate this horrific event,” said Lucy Lewis of WILPF. “We gather not only to honor the countless victims but also to reflect on the accelerating arms race, to raise public awareness about the nuclear threat, and to rededicate ourselves to working for a world without nuclear weapons and where people and nations can live together in peace.”

Anne Cassebaum of NC Peace Action emphasized the urgency of addressing the nuclear weapons threat and finding a path out of despair. She said, “The ever more hair-trigger nuclear arms race will not end unless people intervene; weapons manufacturers make too much money to stop their relentless lobbying of Congress. We need to show up and speak out, so everyone sees the great hope offered by the U.N. Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.” She continued, “Ninety-seven nations have signed this treaty for mutual nuclear disarmament. Locally, Green Level, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Durham have passed resolutions to push nuclear nations like ours to sign. This vigil carries that effort on.”

WILPF MA Boston: Aug. 9 Ritual in Glover Village, VT Honors Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombing Victims

Ellen Mass
WILPF Boston MA Branch

On the 80th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a dozen residents of the small Glover Village, home to over 1,100 people, gathered to place lit lanterns by the Barton River to commemorate the occasion at the end of World War II. The event was organized by Ellen Mass from WILPF’s Boston branch and DISARM/End Wars Committee, in collaboration with members of various cultural and civic organizations from the rural community in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. The local newspaper covered the event.

During the ceremony, attendees placed candles inside the lanterns, each inscribed with personal peace messages on all four sides, and set them along the river’s edge. The group read excerpts from John F. Kennedy’s American University speech delivered in 1963. Participants also recited poetry addressing the impact of radiation on the Japanese civilian population, including original works and four poems from PBS. 

A significant portion of the evening revolved around family testimonies regarding their connections to atomic bomb work. Three participants shared their deep memories of parents involved in the war, discussing how their fathers’ roles affected their lives as children. One father, a high-ranking US commander, played a crucial role in post-bomb efforts, working with the Japanese emperor to provide financial assistance to the victims and to foster US-Japanese restorative peace initiatives. 

The evening concluded with Native American drumming and singing, accompanied by calls for healing and peace worldwide. The group expressed a desire to make this commemoration an annual tradition.

WILPF CA Santa Cruz Branch: WILPF CA Santa Cruz Organizes Hiroshima/Nagasaki Event at Resource Center for Nonviolence

Cheryl Van DeVeer
WILPF Santa Cruz CA Branch

Three members of WILPF’s Santa Cruz branch began planning an event to commemorate the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in June after receiving a reminder letter from Tri-Valley CAREs. For several years, the United Nations Association, represented by Jean Piraino, and other community members have gathered to remember these bombings at the Santa Cruz town clock on Aug. 6 and 9. This year, we aimed to do something different. 

The event took place at The Resource Center for Nonviolence in Santa Cruz, CA, where guests enjoyed a wide variety of donated food. The evening began with dining and reconnecting among attendees. We took a moment to honor a beloved WILPF member, Jan Harwood, who had recently passed away. A eulogy was read, and some members sang a couple of songs that Jan had written for our Raging Grannies.

Andrew Lichterman, a lawyer for the Western States Legal Foundation, agreed to speak on the topic “80 Years After Hiroshima: Nuclear Weapons in a Time of Resurgent Authoritarian Nationalism.” An attentive audience of about 30 listened closely, and many requested a transcript of his talk, which he later provided. 

We were pleased with the turnout and felt that the event was a success.

WILPF CA Berkeley/East Bay and San Francisco Branches: Commemorating Hiroshima and Nagasaki at Livermore Labs on Aug. 6

Anne Henny
WILPF Berkeley/East Bay CA Branch
(with appreciation to Marylia Kelley and Scott Yundt, Tri-Valley CAREs)

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the devastating US atomic bombings of two Japanese cities: Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, and Nagasaki on Aug. 9, 1945. Nearly a quarter of a million people died as a result of these attacks, and today, billions remain at risk from nuclear weapons and the toxic nuclear industry. 

Members of WILPF East Bay and San Francisco sponsored, planned, and participated in a commemoration on Hiroshima Day, Aug. 6, at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, one of the two locations where all US nuclear weapons are designed. The theme of the event was “80 Years of Nuclear Devastation: Remember Our History, Reshape Our Future.” 

Speakers included Dr. Arjun Makajani from the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, Helen Jaccard from Veterans for Peace, Marylia Kelley, Senior Advisor at Tri-Valley CAREs, Reverend Michael Yoshi, who spoke about Japanese Internment during WWII, Reverend Monica Cross from the California Poor People’s Campaign, and activist Patricia Ellsberg. 

Peace activists participated in a “die-in” reenactment of the bombing and a symbolic Japanese Bon dance to honor those who perished 80 years ago. Nine individuals engaged in non-violent civil disobedience by blocking the gate to the lab after police issued a call for them to disperse. These protestors were cited and subsequently released. 

This event was part of many observances taking place across the United States and around the world, reflecting on the horrors of that day 80 years ago while also addressing the nuclear threats we face today. For more details about the event, please read this article.

WILPF PA Greater Philadelphia Branch: Greater Philadelphia Branch Commemorates Nagasaki Day by Noting Women Activists

Tina Shelton and Sylvia Metzler
WILPF Greater Philadelphia PA Branch

WILPF’s Greater Philadelphia branch, together with the Brandywine Peace Community, held a service to commemorate the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. Eighty years ago, the public largely overlooked Nagasaki as the focus remained on Hiroshima after the bombings. 

Bob Smith emphasized the significance of the candlelight ceremony’s location near the Catholic Cathedral in Philadelphia, noting that the cathedral in Nagasaki was “ground zero” in 1945. 

WILPF was invited to help organize this year’s candlelight service, which included the traditional tolling of the bell. 

Our ceremony honored workers from the abolition movement, including figures like Helen Caldicott and Tina Cardova, as well as our own WILPF members, Hideko Tamura, author of One Sunny Day, and Ellen Thomas, coordinator for Proposition 1. We remember the work accomplished in the past to ensure we do not fall into the trap of only focusing on the distance we still need to go. It is essential to recognize the progress that has already been made! 

Attendees participated by holding signs, explaining the event to passersby, setting up banners for motorists, and standing in solidarity with one another. The event featured poetry, music, and moments to remember victims and advocates for peace.