By Kristin Scheer
PeaceWorks KC will gather again at the Loose Park Lagoon this year to remember the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the lives lost or forever changed by those atrocious events. We will share a potluck on Aug. 4 at 6:30 pm, before our 7:30 pm program.
Speakers during our program will include Hiroko Komiya, principal of the Kansas City Japanese School, and Ann Suellentrop, a board member of PeaceWorks KC and of Physicians for Social Responsibility. Hiroko goes to her homeland, Japan, frequently, and Ann was part of a pilgrimage to Hiroshima and Nagasaki this March.
PeaceWorks KC has been leading this event since 2005. In past years, we have floated lanterns, rung bells, enjoyed poetry and been inspired by speakers connected to the Japanese experience. We gather to remember the awful nuclear bombings in hopes that they will never happen again. History forgotten is history destined to repeat itself. As we prepare for this annual event, the National Security Campus, South KC’s nuclear bomb plant, prepares to double its size and production. Our nation is preparing for an escalation of nuclear weapons production, with the NSC making mechanical and electrical parts for 7 new bombs. A new cold war is upon us, and it is centered right here in KC.
We call for Peace! Let us prepare for Peace!
