Over the last month, there has been a marked shift in the direction of nuclear weapons policy, with the inauguration of President Biden, the entry into force of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and the New START extension all having major implications for the survival of our species.
While these changes will reduce the likelihood of nuclear war in the short term, it's unlikely that the Biden Administration will pursue global nuclear abolition as a top priority, despite knowing the existential threat that these weapons pose to humanity. This is a critical moment for activists around the country to engage at the local level to build pressure on the new administration to make the elimination of nuclear weapons and reduction of nuclear risk an urgent priority.
To that end, we’re excited to invite you to an upcoming virtual conference; Ending Nuclear Weapons Before They End Us: Opportunities Under the Biden Administration to Take Action, which takes place on Thursday, March 4th at 8:00 AM (PST). The conference is jointly sponsored by Back from the Brink and the Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). It will feature an expert panel and Q&A followed by interactive workshop sessions to provide activists with the tools and information required to make change under this administration. The workshops will cover a variety of topics, from nuclear weapons and racism to divesting from nuclear weapons.
Oregon PSR's Executive Director, Kelly Campbell, will be one of the featured presenters at an interactive skills-building workshop, Growing the Nuclear Abolition Movement through Local Resolutions, from 9:45 until 10:30 AM. Kelly will be leading this workshop in collaboration with former Oregon State Representative Alissa Keny-Guyer, who championed our Senate Joint Memorial 5 bill in support of the nuclear ban treaty in the Oregon legislature in 2019.
View the full program and register to attend.
As we continue to engage the new Biden Administration and Congress, we know that public support for nuclear abolition will be critical in influencing decision makers. We hope that you’ll join us to learn what opportunities exist to finally eliminate these weapons, and what you can do to help.