The Power of Your Presence August 9

71 years ago, the U.S. dropped the first atomic bomb used in war on the people of Hiroshima. Three days later, on Aug. 9, 1945, the U.S. detonated a second nuclear bomb over Nagasaki. Nobuaki Hanaoka was a baby. His mother and sister died from radiation exposure when he was a child. His brother died at 39 of premature aging. Hanaoka, now a retired Bay Area minister, will join us at the gates of Livermore Lab to “prevent another Nagasaki tragedy from happening anywhere in the world.”

70 years ago, in the summer of 1946, the U.S. began a series of 67 nuclear tests on the people of the Marshall Islands, the last of which took place on Aug. 18, 1958. The largest was “Bravo,” a 15-megaton H-bomb detonated in 1954. Tony deBrum was nine years old. He recalls, “It was in the morning and my grandfather and I were out fishing… Everything turned red: sky, the ocean, the fish, my grandfather’s net. People in Rongelap claim they saw the sun rising from the west.”

The young boy grew up to become the Marshall Island’s Foreign Minister. Today, deBrum represents his country in its historic lawsuits against the world’s nuclear-armed nations for their failure to disarm as required by the Non-Proliferation Treaty and customary international law. He is also the Marshall Islands’ Ambassador on Climate Change.

We are excited to announce that Tony deBrum will deliver the keynote address at this year’s rally. Nobuaki Hanaoka will also share his experiences and insights. The theme is “DISARM NOW: We Stand with Nuclear Survivors for Global Justice.”

The rally begins at 8 am on Tue., Aug. 9. A short march to the West Gate is scheduled at 9 am. We gather at the Lab where scientists are developing a new, more precise, stealthy Long-Range Stand Off nuclear warhead. On this solemn day, we ask you to bring the power of your presence to Livermore Lab and say “Never Again” to nuclear weapons and war.