75th Anniversary Hiroshima Day
One-Hour Online Commemoration
Calling for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons
August 6, 2020, 8 p.m. Eastern / 5 p.m. Pacific
Hosted by the New Mexico 75th Anniversary of Hiroshima/Nagasaki Committee and Pace e Bene
For the last three and a half years, the New Mexico 75th anniversary Committee, with Pace e Bene, has been planning national in person vigils with great national and local speakers for August 6 and 9, 2020 at Los Alamos, New Mexico. Because of COVID-19, we have moved everything to a one-hour online event to commemorate Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
DATE/TIME
The online commemoration will begin 8 p.m. Eastern /5 p.m. Pacific, on Thursday evening, August 6, 2020. It will be hosted by Rev. John Dear, who has helped lead annual Hiroshima day peace vigils for the last nearly twenty years at Los Alamos.
SCHEDULE
We will begin with an opening blessing from Evelyn Naranjo of Pueblo de San Ildefonso. Then we will hear from Jay Coghlan of Nukewatch.org on the history of the Los Alamos labs, where the bomb was designed and fabricated, and how it continues to play the leading role in the creation of most U.S. nuclear weapons since then. Then we will hear a reflection of commemoration, remembrance and recommitment by Roshi Joan Halifax, longtime peacemaker and founder of Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe.
The keynoter speaker will be Dr. Ira Helfand, one of the leaders of ICANW, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, who will explain why we need to work harder then ever to build a global grassroots movement to abolish nuclear weapons. Then Archbishop John Wester, of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, NM, will speak about nuclear weapons and offer a blessing. John will close the call at the end of the hour.
This event is organized by Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service and part of the online Campaign Nonviolence National Conference August 6-8, 2020.
