Monterey County Marks 75th Anniversary with Event Series
Published on July, 18 2020
The annual Remembrance and Peace Lantern Ceremony at Lovers Point Cove in Pacific Grove is not safe to hold this year, so Monterey County WILPF and partner organizations are hosting a series of Saturday events and an online community candlelight vigil to mark the 75th Anniversary of the Hiroshima/Nagasaki nuclear attacks. Photo from the Monterey Peace and Justice Center website, used with permission.
By Catherine Crockett
Member, Monterey Branch of WILPF US and President, Monterey Peace and Justice Center
August 2020
On this 75th anniversary of the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom – Monterey County Branch, the Peace Coalition of Monterey County, and other partner organizations are raising public awareness by hosting a series of free, virtual events throughout the month of August to amplify the voices of the Hibakusha, the remaining survivors of the 1945 bombing, in their earnest desire that “no one else should suffer as we have.”
Our 16th Annual Remembrance and Peace Lantern Ceremony is traditionally held at Lovers Point Cove in Pacific Grove, however the outdoor event has been canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.
Still Here: Marking 75 Years of Nuclear Weapons and Survivors
This August 6th and 9th (2020) mark the 75th anniversaries of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In that time the nuclear threat has grown and waned but now we are again moving in the wrong direction. To help push for better policies and less nuclear risk, the Peace Coalition of Monterey County and a host of local partner organizations are marking the anniversary with a series of events each Saturday in August. The events are varied and informative, and include speakers that will be known to many of you, including WILPF’s own Joyce Vandevere.
All virtual events are free and will be livestreamed on Zoom. Registration for each event is required to obtain the “join” details. The virtual events will be simulcast on the Monterey Peace and Justice Center YouTube channel. All WILPFers are welcome to register for the events – you don’t need to live in Monterey County. You will reach the registration for each individual event when you click on the links below, or you can click on individual “Register” buttons next to each event under the Calendar of Events here.
Saturday, August 1, 6 pm – 8 pm: Japanese Americans, Hibakusha, and Nuclear Weapons: Linking Past and Present, by David Yamada, Larry Oda, and Arlington "Arly" La Mica.
Saturday, August 8, 7 pm – 9 pm: 75th Annual Hiroshima-Nagasaki Remembrance and Virtual Peace Lantern Ceremony, with opening invocation by Reverend Jay Shinseki, the Story of Sadako Sasaki and the Thousand Cranes presented by Larry Oda, Arlington “Arly” La Mica as Keynote Speaker, Invocation for the Peace Lantern Ceremony by Carole Erickson, and Beverly Bean as emcee. A video retrospective of past Hiroshima-Nagasaki Remembrance events at Lovers Point Cove in Pacific Grove, California, produced by Wes White, will be shown.
Saturday, August 15, 3 pm – 5 pm: Alternative Facts: The Lies of Executive Order 9066 and Community Conversation. Documentary film and panel discussion. Panelists: Gary Fujii, Sandy Lydon, and Larry Oda. Moderator: JT Mason. This event is presented by Whites for Racial Equity, the National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI) Monterey County, and the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) Monterey Peninsula.
Saturday, August 22, 3 pm – 5 pm: Recognition & Healing Through Art: Two Artists in Conversation, with Jerry Takigawa and Joe Aki Ouye.
Saturday, August 29, 3 pm – 5 pm: The Beginning of the End of Nuclear Weapons, Film and Discussion, with Joyce Vandevere of Monterey County WILPF, and Dr. Sharat G. Lin.
Thursday, August 6, 8:08 pm, Shine a Light for Peace & Justice - Community Candlelight Vigil. A Community-wide Candlelight Vigil will begin on Thursday, August 6 after sunset.
Participate by placing an LED cancel on your porch, driveway, or in a street-facing window each night, starting August 6th through September 21st, International Day of Peace. For details about free LED candle distribution locations, email Lynn Hamilton at lynnhmltn@gmail.com.
We are part of a national coalition of over 165 organizations working together specifically to highlight the voices of various affected communities this year – from the Hibakusha who survived the blasts in Japan, to downwind communities, nuclear workers, uranium workers, military personnel, and their families who were exposed to harmful and sometimes deadly levels of ionizing radiation and other toxins.
The stories of these survivors are not often heard, but they struggle with the effects to this day – decades after the atomic blasts. Now they have a whole new issue to contend with as the United States Congress considers providing funds for nuclear weapon testing to start again after a 28-year moratorium. This threat of renewed testing, the continued need to support survivors, and the inadequacy of current policy to address the risk posed by these weapons will be the predominant themes this year as the groups gather to mark 75 years of the nuclear weapons era, and to worry about where we will be 75 years from now.
Hibakusha Appeal Position Letter: https://www.hiroshimanagasaki75.org/hibakusha-appeal
Organized and sponsored by:
Japanese American Citizens League of Monterey Peninsula
Monterey Peace and Justice Center
Monterey Peninsula Friends Meeting (Quakers)
National Coalition Building Institute- Monterey County (NCBI)
Peace Coalition of Monterey County
Veterans for Peace, Chapter #46
Whites for Racial Equity
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Monterey County Branch
Online event page: tinyurl.com/Aug-2020-Remembrance
75th Anniversary Hiroshima-Nagasaki: https://www.hiroshimanagasaki75.org/
