Contact: Angela Crowley-Koch
Physicians for Social Responsibility
503-274-2720
angela@oregonpsr.org
MEDIA ADVISORY – August 2, 2006
REMEMBERING HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI
44th Annual Commemoration in Portland Affirms New Resolve Against Nuclear Weapons
Oregonians will gather on Hiroshima Day to remember the victims of the nuclear bombs dropped on Japan and to call for an end to the threat of nuclear weapons everywhere. Hiroshima Day marks the beginning of the Nuclear Age when over 200,000 people were killed in three days in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, on August 6th and 9th, 1945.
WHAT: Hiroshima Day MemorialWHERE: Japanese-American Historical Plaza in Waterfront Park at NW Naito and CouchWHEN: Sunday, August 6 6:00 – 7:00 PMWHO:
Joel Iwanaga, Channel 6 News, emcee
Reverend Alcena Boozer, President of the Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon
Ronault LS. Catalani, Civil Rights Attorney and nephew of Nagasaki victims
Chisao Hata, Dancer/Choreographer
Dr. Martin Donohoe, Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility Board of Directors
Reverend Jack Takayanagi, United Church of Christ.
Toki Taiko drums
Aurora Chorus
VISUAL: Taiko drums, Shadow Outlines from the Shadow Project
CONTACT: Angela Crowley-Koch, Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility angela@oregonpsr.org [1] 503-274-2720SPONSORS: Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, Japanese American Citizens League, Portland Branch of WILPF – Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Oregon Hiroshima Club, American Friends Service Committee, Code Pink Portland, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, Friends of Sabeel – North America, the Military and Draft Counseling Project, Oregon Buddhist Temple, Oregon PeaceWorks, Rural Organizing Project, WAND – Women’s Action for New Directions, Wasco County Citizens for Human Dignity, Peace and Justice Works Iraq Affinity Group, Veterans for Peace, Chapter 72, Church of Scientology of Portland, Multnomah Friends Meeting, Soka Gakkai International (SGI)-USA, People of Faith for Peace, Portland First United Methodist Church, Metanoia Peace Community, Ceasefire Oregon
Portland, Ore.— Oregonians will gather to observe Hiroshima Day on Sunday evening, August 6th at the Japanese American Historical Plaza from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Hiroshima Day marks the beginning of the Nuclear Age when over 200,000 people were killed in three days in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, on August 6th and 9th, 1945.
"We gather once a year, we remember with great reverence every year those hundreds of thousands of mothers and fathers, aunties and uncles, grandmas and school kids who perished in a flash in August 1945,” said Ronault LS. Catalani, whose two uncles were killed by the bomb dropped on Nagasaki. “Our elected leaders need to know that nuclear weapons are not an option. They are unthinkable."
“The United States should be leading the way towards a world without nuclear weapons,” said Martin Donohoe, MD, Member of the board of directors, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Oregon Chapter. “Instead of developing and testing new nuclear weapons systems, we should be promoting non-proliferation efforts.”
“While we remember these tragic experiences, it is important to take steps to prevent their recurrence,” said Rev. Alcena Boozer, President of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon. “On this anniversary we join with our brothers and sisters around the world to pray for peaceful solutions to world problems.”
This year marks the 61st anniversary of the nuclear attacks on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The health consequences from the use of a single nuclear weapon are horrible, including the potential deaths of hundreds of thousands from blast, heat and exposure to radiation.
The U.S. and Russia still maintain thousands of nuclear weapons in their arsenals, many of them on hair-trigger alert, poised to be launched in minute's time. Our active nuclear weapons program is setting the wrong example for the world. Instead of backing away from the use of nuclear weapons, the U.S. government has declared a willingness to use them in a pre-emptive strike, most recently against Iran. Current U.S. policy of developing new nuclear weapons, such as the “Reliable Replacement Warhead,” sends a “do as I say, not as I do” signal to the rest of the world and may increase the desire of non-nuclear countries to seek their own nuclear weapons as a deterrent. The U.S. can and should be a leader in helping the world back away from the nuclear brink.
The Shadow Project, to chalk human outlines in the streets of Portland, will also take place to remind Portlanders of the Japanese citizens who were instantly vaporized in the bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The silhouettes will be stenciled at the following times:
Wednesday, August 2nd - evening, NW Hoyt & 12th
Friday, August 3 – Salmon Street Fountain – 5:30 pm – SW Salmon & Naito
Saturday, August 5 – Peace Memorial Park – 2 pm – NE Oregon & Interstate
Sunday, August 6 – Japanese-American Historical Plaza – 4:30 pm
Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) is a non-profit educational organization committed to the elimination of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, the achievement of a healthy and sustainable environment, and the reduction of violence and its causes. PSR is the US affiliate of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, recipient of the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize.
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