Hiroshima/Nagasaki Commemoration AND 40th Anniversary of Peace Coalition of SI

Date/Time
Date(s) - 08/06/2023
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Location
Church of the Good Shepherd UCC

Categories No Categories

HIROSHIMA/NAGASAKI COMMEMORATION AND 40TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF THE PEACE COALITION OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
On Sunday August 6, 2023 the Peace Coalition will celebrate 40 years since its founding during the annual Hiroshima/Nagasaki Commemoration. The event will be held at the Church of the Good Shepherd UCC, 515 Orchard Dr., Carbondale. Festivities will begin at 5:30 PM with a potluck dinner and conversation. A brief Commemoration Ceremony will be held to remember the more than 200,000 deaths of citizens of these two cities and the introduction of this potential world ending weapon. A recap of the history of the Peace Coalition and of the risk of renewed nuclear confrontation will be provided.
As a reminder of what we cherish and hope to preserve in peace, the program will be followed by a performance from the beloved local folk trio ROGNBOB & RUTHANN.
August 6, 2023 will mark 78 years since the first use of Nuclear Weapons. That is the date the U.S. dropped a hydrogen bomb on Hiroshima Japan, touted as necessary to bring Japan to surrender in WWII though evidence shows they had made that decision already. The Peace Coalition of Southern Illinois was formed in 1983 because the specter of annihilation from the use of vastly more powerful weapons was endangered by policies of the Reagan administration. In addition, the continued support of dictatorships and brutal militaries contributed to human rights abuses around the world. Much has happened since 1983 but we have come full circle to again modernize Nuclear Weapons and leave or fail to renew treaties to limit their deployment. The war in Ukraine has put intentional or accidental use on the table in a very dangerous way, so rebuilding a peace movement is as important as ever.
The event is free and open to the public and sponsored by the Peace Coalition of Southern Illinois with thanks to host, the Church of the Good Shepherd UCC. For more information, contact Georgeann Hartzog, georgeannhartzog@gmail.com.