WILPF Members Celebrate the Second Anniversary of the Nuclear Ban Treaty Entering into Force
Published on January, 29 2023
A group of peace activists visited the White House on January 22, 2023, to deliver a letter to President Biden regarding the TPNW. WILPFer Vicki Elson is the woman on the right-hand side in the front row with the blue hat. Photo credit: Photo taken by Timmon Wallis and used with his permission.
by Cherrill Spencer
Co-chair, DISARM/End Wars Issue Committee
February 2023
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) was born out of the deep concern of the world’s governments about the growing threat that nuclear weapons pose to human survival, the environment, socioeconomic development, the global economy, food security, and the health and welfare of current and future generations. It was initiated in a special UN conference in July 2017, and in order for it to come into force 50 countries had to sign and ratify it. That threshold was passed on January 22, 2021.
WILPF branches and at-large members celebrated the second anniversary of the treaty’s entry into force between January 20th and 23rd, 2023. Photographs from nine cities where WILPFers stood to ask President Biden to sign the TPNW (also called the Nuclear Ban Treaty) can be seen here.
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) is a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, with the intent that they will eventually be totally eliminated; just having them sitting around is a dangerous situation. A software glitch or a mistaken radar scan could lead to missiles tipped with nuclear bombs being fired off to obliterate the cities of one’s enemies. They would respond in kind and it would not take long for civilization to disappear. We have to educate the public about this existential threat and press our politicians to stop sending our tax dollars to the weapons manufacturers such as Raytheon and Lockheed Martin who make the missiles, submarines and military planes.
Below are reports from nine different cities where WILPFers celebrated the 2nd anniversary of the entry into force (EIF) of the TPNW. I’ve ordered them from the coldest to warmest weather our members had to endure!
Burlington, Vermont (from Robin Lloyd)
Some 25 of us overcame cold and snow conditions to protest and celebrate at the Burlington International Airport on the 2nd anniversary of the Treaty Prohibiting Nuclear Weapons. WILPF members Marguerite Adelman, Robert Ackland, and Robin Lloyd, and Laurie Larson, Catherine Bock, and Jane Hendley and others from PPS (People Peace and Security) and SafeLandingBTV (and even Duncan Nichols from across the mountains) agitated at the entrance and then handed out leaflets and entered the building and convened in the mezzanine for more discussion and networking.
Detroit, Michigan (from Laura Dewey)
The Detroit Branch of WILPF participated in an event in Ferndale, MI, sponsored by the Detroit Area Peace with Justice Network, of which WILPF is a member. Twenty-five people, including two WILPF members, held signs on Woodward Avenue, a major artery, and drew numerous supportive honks from drivers.
The group then held a meeting in the Ferndale First United Methodist Church, where we celebrated the second anniversary of the TPNW and wrote letters to our US senators and representatives asking them to support the treaty. We were asked to pledge to do something to support the TPNW on the 22nd of each month. A statement by Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib in support of the TPNW was read to the group by Laura Dewey, chair of the Detroit Branch. A WILPF member living in Tlaib's district contacted her office and asked for the statement.
A short video of the vigil is on YouTube: 2nd Anniversary of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons vigil in Ferndale, Michigan
Here is a video of Laura reading Rashida Tlaib's Statement.
Portland, Maine (from Martha Spiess)
Several groups joined forces for a Portland, ME picket to celebrate the weekend of the Jan 22, 2023 2nd annual TPNW entry-into-force. This same banner launched a statewide Nuclear Ban Banner Caravan, celebrating when the treaty came into force. WILPF member Christine DeTroy led that inauguration.
We still find many people who are unfamiliar with the #nuclearban treaty, ICAN or WILPF yet, but support the text right away!
Washington, DC (from Vicki Elson)
See photo at the top of this article. On Sunday, January 22, 2023, the group attempted to deliver a letter to President Biden in hardcopy but the guards at the White House gate wouldn’t even touch the envelope, so it was sent by email. The letter had been signed by over 100 national, state, and local organizations and calls on the President to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW or “Nuclear Ban Treaty”).
Full text of the letter and a list of organizations who have signed it is available at this link.
Philadelphia, PA (from Tina Shelton)
Our Philadelphia branch stands with the peace groups of Philadelphia to say “No to Nukes” and to end all wars. On January 22, 2023, WILPF members joined Brandywine Peace Community in uplifting the second Anniversary of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons coming into effect.
Standing in the eaves of the Federal Courthouse in Philadelphia, activists held signs, remembered activists Kay Camp and others, and tolled the bell for the 68 nation states that have ratified the treaty. The gathering ended with a march around the Liberty Bell. WILPF members also continue to push for divestment through the Divest Philly from the War Machine campaign.
Asheville, North Carolina (from Ellen Thomas)
WILPF US, Veterans for Peace, and Physicians for Social Responsibility members gathered in Pack Square in Asheville, NC, on Saturday, January 21, 2023, to celebrate the second anniversary of the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Livermore and Monterey Counties, California (from MacGregor Eddy)
MacGregor reports that she attended the Tri Valley CARE’s demonstration at the gates of the Lawrence Livermore National Lab at 9 am on 20th January. Scott Yundt gave her the big banner that you can see in the slideshow photo for her attendance at a Monterey County celebration later in the same day!
Tucson, Arizona (from Felice Cohen-Joppa)
On January 23, 2023, twenty activists held signs and banners outside Tucson’s Raytheon Missiles & Defense plant to mark the 2nd anniversary of the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. In April 2020, the Pentagon gave Raytheon a multi-billion dollar contract to develop and produce the long-range stand-off (LRSO) missile, an all-new nuclear-armed cruise missile to be launched from the wings of warplanes. This work that is happening in Tucson is in violation of the spirit and letter of the TPNW.
Peninsula/Palo Alto, California (from Judy Adams)
Our Peninsula/Palo Alto branch holds an hour-long vigil every Friday at noon at a very busy intersection in Palo Alto, but to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of the EIF of the TPNW we moved our action to the King Plaza in front of Palo Alto City Hall. Our co-sponsor on January 20th was Fridays For Future (FFF), an international environmental action group, who holds weekly demonstrations on the Plaza.
We set up information tables with lots of information on the TPNW and the TPNW petition to the President and US Senate. We had a loudspeaker system and three speakers: WILPFer Cherrill Spencer on the history and status of the TPNW; the FFF co-coordinator on the alignment of environmental and nuclear issues; and a local Peace Center activist with powerful words about our responsibilities to disarm. He also closed our event with his Peace Dance.
We arranged a circle designated as “Ground Zero,” and participants silently occupied it as if a nuclear weapon had exploded nearby. They were asked to focus on what action they would take for the Treaty. The signal to end the “die-in” was Sharat Lin’s Peace Dance. You can view a video recording of the whole event on the WILPF US You Tube channel or at this URL.
Thank You and Reminders from DISARM
Photographs from these nine cities where WILPFers stood to ask President Biden to sign the TPNW (also called the Nuclear Ban Treaty) can be seen here.
Your DISARM/End Wars Committee co-chairs thank all the WILPFers who went out to public areas to help publicize the TPNW, and remind everyone they can write to their Congressional reps from the comfort of their living rooms via this link, and can sign a petition to the President and Senate at this link.
If you would like to join our committee please write to disarmchair@wilpfus.org.
