On Aug. 6, the 72nd anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, a Kansas City, MO, ceremony will mourn the deaths in that city in 1945 and in Nagasaki (Aug. 9, 1945) and call for a nuclear-weapon-free world. Participants will take hope from work on a United Nations treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons. Ban them. Outlaw them.
With this international momentum to “ban the bomb,” PeaceWorks-KC is sponsoring the annual Hiroshima/Nagasaki Remembrance. Details:
When: Sunday, Aug. 6, with potluck at 6:30 pm and ceremony at 7:30 pm.
Where: Loose Park lagoon at 53rd Street and Wornall Road, KC, MO.
Rain plan: Conover Room at All Souls, 4501 Walnut Street, KC, MO.
Why: to mourn the 1945 bombings; to respond to the past and current tragedies involved in making, testing, and storing the nuclear weapons; and to recommit to seeking a nuke-free world NOW.
This March the representatives of the more than 130 countries began work at the UN on the treaty, a draft (at icanw.org) of which was released May 22. The representatives’ next meeting will run from June 15 to July 7. “The chair of the conference, Costa Rican ambassador Elayne Whyte, has conveyed her confidence that the treaty can be concluded by July 7 – the final day of the second round of negotiations – describing this as ‘an achievable goal,’” said an April 19 news release from ICAN, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. “In light of today’s dire international security environment, which places us within a hair’s breadth of nuclear catastrophe, our task is all the more crucial and urgent,” the news release added.
The KC, MO, program Aug. 6 will feature music, reflections, peace cranes, and lanterns. All are welcome! For information, contact Henry Stoever, 913-375-0045.
Artwork by Juuri.
