Nagasaki Day Rally, August 9
2024 World Conference Against A & H Bombs
Suzanne and Keith Blackburn
Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace (GVCP)
USA
I am Suzanne Blackburn. I am here with my husband, Keith Blackburn, representing Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace (GVCP) and Peace Action New York State. GVCP was founded in 1972 in response to the war in Vietnam. For over 50 years, we have worked for amnesty for war resisters; for nuclear disarmament, the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, and the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW); and for a change in national priorities to emphasize human needs rather than military spending. We work closely with Rochester Chapter 23 of Veterans for Peace, the student Peace Action group from the State University of New York at Geneseo, and members of the Warheads to Windmills coalition.
Like other members of GVCP and Peace Action affiliates around the United States, we are citizen activists. We speak for dozens of people in Western New York, hundreds of people throughout our state, and thousands of people all over the US, regular people who have jobs, raise families, and work in our communities to create a peaceful world. We lift up the voices of people around the world who envision a world free of nuclear weapons.
This week, Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace held its 50th consecutive Hiroshima and Nagasaki Candlelight Vigil. Every year as a community, we remember the devastating mark that nuclear weapons have left on Japan. We sing of the sorrows of war and the hope of peace. We light candles, and speak out to our fellow citizens of the money wasted to build and maintain a nuclear arsenal, money that could be spent meeting human needs and transitioning our world to a green economy.
Our personal philosophy is that peace begins at home. We have raised our children not to kill your children, but to build relationships. We bear witness to peace in our community by marching, rallying, writing to our elected officials, publishing articles in our local newspaper, and hosting students from around the world. After this conference, we will be visiting our former Japanese exchange student in Tokyo. Interpersonal relationships are the foundation for global cooperation.
Nuclear weapons do not make our world safer. To address problems like war, nuclear threats, poverty, climate change, and terrorism, the United States needs to work cooperatively with our global neighbors. Diplomacy and collaboration are the only way forward. Almost 100 countries have signed the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons; our country is not one of them. All countries face a choice: invest in weapons of mass destruction, or work toward disarmament by joining the TPNW. Peace activists in Japan and the US are working toward the same goal.
Thank you for hosting us at the World Conference. The messages we heard this week have inspired us to share the vision of a nuclear-free world with members of our community, including people who are unfamiliar with the concerns about nuclear weapons. We are grateful for the friendships formed while visiting Japan. We will bring the love, commitment, and passion for peace home to GVCP, Peace Action, and beyond.