Our 49th annual Hiroshima/Nagasaki commemoration vigil was a powerful, moving, event.
Thank you to our allies from Rochester Chapter 23 Veterans For Peace and others for joining us. We were 25 strong, with media presence (and coverage!) from Rochester News Channel 8 and our respected local paper, The Livingston County News. The Avon Traffic Circle was colorful with many people, signs, banners, peace cranes, and peace flags. It was a beautiful evening.
Opening remarks (attached) by GVCP member Holly Adams, included a review of important legislation, urging everyone to contact their representatives:
H.Res. 77, introduced by Rep Jim McGovern (D-MA), calling on House Representatives to embrace the goals and provisions of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear weapons, including pursuing negotiations on new bilateral nuclear arms control and disarmament, renouncing the option of First Use, ending the President’s sole authority to launch a nuclear attack, taking US nuclear weapons off hair trigger alert, and canceling the plan to replace nuclear arsenal of the US with modernized, enhanced weapons.
H.R. 2775, introduced by Delegate Eleanor Hoilmes Norton (D-DC), the Nuclear Weapons Abolition and Economic Conversion Act, also known as “Warheads to Windmills”, this bill seeks to convert nuclear weapons industry resources and personnel to purposes relating to addressing the climate crisis.
Member Chris Norton shared remarks regarding the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Japan, and a sobering reading of stories of bomb survivors from the 1946 book Hiroshima by John Hersey. Chris ended with an update on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
A period of solemn silence was then observed by all present, followed by Rich Kronert singing and playing peace songs on his guitar. To end the evening, GVCP member Hank Stone provided luminaria as all present joined together in a circle to raise our voices and sing acapella by candlelight.
GVCP members and friends brought literature, peace cranes, and home grown veggies to share.
Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace, August 2023
GVCP-H_N-vigil-opening-remarks-Google-Docs.pdf