On Monday, August 8th, 6:00 PM (PST), we hope that you will join Oregon PSR and our community partners for the annual Portland-area memorial to the victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We're excited to be returning to an in-person event after virtual events for the past few years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and will be hosting the event at the Japanese American Historical Plaza at NW Naito Parkway and Couch Street on the Portland waterfront.
As the war in Ukraine reminds us, the existence of nuclear weapons remains a threat to all life on our planet. While 90% of the world’s nuclear weapons remain controlled by the US and Russia, momentum is growing for a nuclear-free future as the majority of countries in the world have come together to create the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, making nuclear weapons illegal under international law. The first meeting of State Parties of the Treaty recently concluded, with even some NATO-member countries surprising the world by attending.
We here in the US must do our part to work for a nuclear-free future. We invite you to be a part of this year’s memorial event, which will feature the voices of communities most impacted by nuclear injustice and make clear the links to movements for racial, environmental, and social justice.
We are thrilled to announce a truly stellar lineup of performances this year including LaRhonda Steele and the Grace Gospel Quartet; Portland Taiko drummers; Tsubaki Buyo Doukoukai traditional Japanese dancers; a Marshallese youth dance troupe; and a sing-along with Hiru Gohan Group.
Our speakers will include longtime nuclear justice activist and Walla Walla Tribal Member Cathy Sampson-Kruse and third generation hibakusha (atomic bomb survivor) and artist Yukiyo Kawano. We’ll also honor two movement elders, hibakusha Michiko Kornhauser and atomic veteran Harvey Thorstad, with a special award. The event will be hosted by Jess Gasper of the Oregon Marshallese Community Association. We’ll pause to mark the exact moment (7:02 PM) when the bomb made with plutonium processed at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation on the Columbia River was dropped on Nagasaki and we’ll provide opportunities for our audience members to take action for nuclear justice.
All who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are welcome to join us in person at this free, outdoor, all-ages event which will include ASL interpretation. For those unable to join us in person, the memorial will also be livestreamed on Oregon PSR’s Facebook page.
Show your support for nuclear justice with a donation to support this important work today.
Thank you to all of our event cosponsors who make this memorial possible:
American Friends Service Committee
Coalition of Communities of Color
Columbia Riverkeeper
Doctors for Camp Closure (Oregon Chapter)
Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon
Epworth United Methodist Church
First Unitarian Church of Portland Peace Action Group
Health Care for All Oregon
Japanese American Museum of Oregon
Latino Network
Living Earth
Multnomah County Democrats
Multnomah Meeting of Friends
National Association of Atomic Veterans
One Sunny Day Initiatives
OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon
Oregon Hiroshima Club
Oregon Jewish Museum & Center for Holocaust Education
Oregon Marshallese Community Association
Oregon Public Health Association
Oregon Solar + Storage Industries Association (OSSIA)
Peace and Justice Works Iraq Affinity Group
The Peace House
PeaceVoice
Portland Central America Solidarity Committee
Portland JACL
Portland Japanese Garden
Portland Jobs with Justice
Seeding Justice
Union of Concerned Scientists
United Nations Association Portland
Vancouver for Peace
Vanport Mosaic
Veterans for Peace Chapter 72
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
Special thanks to our Media Sponsor, KBOO Public Radio.
NW Naito Parkway and Couch Street
Portland, OR 97209
United States
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