It was a cold and blustery day (for real). Snow covered the ground. And professional football playoffs ensued, keeping many folks home. But eight hearty souls held a public witness for freedom from nuclear weapons at the Plaza fountain in KC MO on Sunday, Jan. 22.
Why the rally? They were celebrating the second anniversary of the “entry into force” of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The “entry into force” meant the treaty took effect in 50 countries that had incorporated the treaty into their laws by late 2020. By now, 92 countries have signed the treaty, including 3 that have acceded to it and 65 that have ratified it, giving hope around the world for freedom from nukes.
After the rally, Henry Stoever said, “We held signs about the treaty, waved to the Plaza traffic, and asked people to pay attention to the danger of nuclear war. Standing dead in our tracks in the cold, we braved the wind for peace, and later went out for hot coffee.”
After taking the photos in this slide show, Kristin Scheer said, “Cars honked their approval. People gave us the peace sign. Rallies like this are one of the things PeaceWorks does. We enjoy getting out and making noise about things we think are important!”
Pictured in the slide show are PeaceWorks KC leaders Cris Mann, Henry Stoever, Kristin Scheer, Ann Suellentrop, Charles Carney, and Hazmat Harriet (Bennette Dibben). They were joined by Mattie, a nurse at Children’s Mercy and alumna of Avila University in KC MO, and Jonathan, an Avila student who has visited the peace center in Hiroshima, Japan, commemorating the US atomic bombing on Aug. 6, 1945, and signifying the Japanese people’s commitment to forge a nuke-free world.
© 2023, Kristin Scheer, Henry Stoever, Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 4.0 International License
