On Wednesday, August 6th, MAPA, the American Friends Service Committee, The Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Security, and other local and national peace organizations hosted a commemoration on the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The commemoration opened at noon with a rhythmic and energetic performance from Stone of Hope, a drumming group from Friends Meeting at Cambridge. The event had a full schedule packed with musical artists, speakers, and videos that worked to acknowledge the tragedy that resulted from the dropping of “Little boy” and “Fat Man.” Participants were asked to remember that the danger of nuclear war is ever present, and to remain dedicated to nuclear abolition.
Grassroot organizations have forever been the driving force in the movement for nuclear abolition, consisting of passionate individuals who are committed to a future of global nuclear disarmament. Midori Morrow, Pat Scanlon, Owen Madaus, and Ira Helfhand remember the survivors and commit themselves to nuclear disarmament and remind us of the ever-present threat of nuclear weapons.
“80 years ago is not that long ago,” said Midori Morrow, an artist out of Portland, Maine. Morrow is a third generation hibakusha who uses her art to explore themes of identity. At the commemoration, Morrow shared the story of her grandmother, a survivor of the atomic bomb. Morrow says that she understands the role of the Hibakusha is to continue the story of survivors through the generations.
“My role is to share the story and not let it disappear,” said Morrow.The way Morrow chooses to remember her grandmother is through her art and advocacy —two fields that she says aren’t necessarily the same for her, but work in tandem. When speaking at events, Morrow says she is able to be more direct in her messaging, addressing the long term and generational impacts of the A-bomb on herself and family. But her art is a different story.
As an artist in the nuclear disarmament space, Morrow grapples with the morality of a photograph — a rising issue in the age of social media. It can be easy to default to the “shock factor” of horrific deaths and violence ridden bodies. Morrow questions this growing practice, as the internet becomes saturated with this type of content.
“We’re desensitized to violence to the point where we see a photograph of someone dying and we don’t really identify them as one person. We identify them as a larger group of people,” said Morrow, who opts for motifs and symbols in her art.
Morrow mentioned cranes and mountains as a less dehumanizing alternative. Cranes became a major symbol of peace with the death of Sadako Sasaki, a young girl who was exposed to radiation from the Hiroshima bombing, and folded cranes in hopes of recovery and peace. Leaflets sharing this story were given out at an origami crane table at the event. In Morrow’s recent solo show entitled, “the Mountain Stood Still,” the mountain represents all the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, enabling Morrow to bring those who come to engage with her art into the movement.
Morrow understands that her place in the movement is to humanize the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki through her grandmother’s story and through her art without compromising her morals. “I’m sharing my grandmother’s story,” said Morrow.“If it becomes something that it isn’t, then I shouldn’t be in the field anymore.”
Art could be seen throughout the event, including through a musical performance by Pat Scanlon. Scanlon is a long-time peace and environmental activist, and also a singer-songwriter. His first album, “Songs for Future Generations,” was produced by Rounder Records co-sponsored by Greenpeace. Armed with only a voice and a banjo, Scanlon was able to capture the audience in his performance through sing-a-long sections and dance movements that had everyone on their feet. Scanlon is driven by his own experiences in the military as a Vietnam vet. He spoke post-performance about the many organizations that he’s worked with, including Veterans for Peace, the Clamshell Alliance, and Mass Recycle; a statewide recycling coalition he founded.. hen asked about what drew him into nuclear abolition work, Scanlon spent much time recounting his experiences doing bomb damage assessment during the war. “I saw death, destruction, and mayhem everyday,” he said.
All these years later, Scanlon’s draft in the Vietnam war drives his relentless commitment to peace work. “It still bothers my soul what I participated in,” Scanlon reflects. “My entire life since being in Vietnam…even my work in recycling and everything else has kind of been subconsciously paying the universe back because of what I did.”
Pat and Midori’s story remind us that the consequences of war are long lasting and generational, driving their fight for peace and an end to nuclear arms.
This fight is not unprecedented. Since the Cold War ended, the world’s nuclear weapon arsenal has gone from around 60,000 to 12,000. Ira Helfhand spoke to those gathered at Dewey Square, referencing this statistic and the continued effort for nuclear abolition. Helfand is a member of International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), a group that received the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for highlighting the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons and its efforts on treaty-based prohibition. He reminded the audience that, “We are told sometimes that it’s impossible, as though nuclear weapons are a force of nature…we built these weapons, we know how to take them apart and we can do that, we’ve done it once before.” Helfand’s call to action is for people to contact their representatives to support HRES 317 and SRES 232, both introduced by Massachusetts legislators.
Owen Madaus, an intern at MAPA and one of the lead organizers of the commemoration echoed Helfhand’s call to action, emphasizing the importance of support for these resolutions. “These resolutions can make a verifiable impact,” said Madaus. They have the ability to place safeguards on weapons of mass destruction and demand our legislators seek disarmament.
The Hiroshima Memorial Cenotaph has the inscription, “Let all the souls here rest in peace; for we shall not repeat the evil.” More than remembering the past, commemorations of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are meant to remind us of what we might not repeat, and a humanity we must protect. Currently, the U.S. is planning to spend an average of $95 billion per year on nuclear weapons for the next decade. As $95 billion gets sucked away from providing for the American people, the U.S. attempted to wipe the enshrined message of “never again” from the minds of the American people. Do your part and email your reps to support HRES 317 and SRES 232 by clicking these links.
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Addey Lilley is a MAPA intern and an undergraduate at Wellesley College