The Princeton Public Library's Community Room was packed to capacity for a co-sponsored event to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945, respectively. We were fortunate to hear from many prominent voices of remembrance - along with messages that the danger of nuclear conflict remains very real even eight decades after the work witnessed the horrors of nuclear war.
Jeffrey Laurenti, Board Chair of the Coalition for Peace Action, talks about the horrific events of August 6 and 9, 1945, emphasizing the need to never forget - and outlining why memory of the atomic bombings matters today.
Shiho Burke (née Kikuzaki) talks about her experiences growing up in Hiroshima in the wake of the atomic bombing. Her mother survived the bombing, but at twenty-eight, her doctor pronounced her radiation-induced cancer terminal and gave her three months to live. She lived much longer than that, but suffered four miscarriages and one stillbirth before giving birth to Shiho at the age of 40. Shiho also talked about her daily encounters with people whose lives had been shattered by the bombing, encouraging her to spread the message of peace.
Watch the video here: Jeffrey Laurenti and Shiho Burke
Larry Ericksen, Executive Director of the Seabrook Educational and Cultural Center, talks about the origins of Seabrook farms and how Japense-American internees ended up working on a farm in southern New Jersey during World War II.
Watch the video here: Larry Ericksen and Masaru Nakawatase.
Masaru Nakawatase, President of the Seabrook Educational and Cultural Center Board of Trustees, talking about his experiences being born in an internment camp for Japanese-Americans in Arizona, and life at Seabrook farms, where his family moved to work to get out of the internment camp.
Watch the video here: Larry Ericksen and Masaru Nakawatase.
Rob Goldston, Professor of Astrophysics at Princeton University, outlines how the recent Israeli-US attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities were likely ineffective and that negotiation remains the only practical solution to Iran's nuclear program.
Watch the video here: Robert J Goldston.
Members of the audience had the opportunity to ask questions.
A candle-lit vigil in memory of the hundreds of thousands who perished in the nuclear attacks closed out the evening commemoration.
Photos courtesy David Crow and Neal McGrath
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