by Brittany Kimzey, Global Zero Action Corps Leader, Physicians for Social Responsibility Event and Activity Coordinator
17 August 2015
On Sunday, August 9, Global Zero activists in
26 cities worldwide took to the streets for "Bike Around the Bomb"
events to mark the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Japan and call
for urgent action to eliminate all nuclear weapons. The international day of
action came as the debate over the nuclear deal with Iran -- a key next step
toward the global elimination of nuclear weapons -- heats up in the U.S.
Congress.
In Iowa City, Global Zero teamed up with Iowa
Physicians for Social Responsibility to host an advocacy forum on eliminating
nuclear weapons. The forum featured keynote speakers Paul K Chappell of the
California based Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, and Steven Starr, Senior
Scientist with National Physicians for Social Responsibility. Participants of
the forum gained an increased understanding of the risks posed by nuclear
weapons in today’s society. The forum resulted in a number of different
advocacy actions being taken including: social media posts and photos, letters
to decision makers, discussions on how to advocate using art or lobbying, and a
bike ride which highlighted the area of destruction that would occur from a
small nuclear blast in Iowa City.
"As we mark the 70th anniversary of the
atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we must consider the present-day threat
posed by nuclear weapons -- and the steps we can take to eliminate that threat.
Right now, the U.S. Congress has an opportunity to make the world safer by
approving a deal that stops the spread of the bomb in the Middle East. They
should seize it," said Global Zero leader and former CIA operative Valerie
Plame.
"Nuclear
weapons were last used a half century before I was born, yet still remain the
greatest threat to our existence. I work to ensure they don't last another
fifty,” said Iowa City Global Zero Action Corps Leader Brittany Kimzey.
“Our
generation must be the one that eliminates nuclear weapons, 70 years is too
long to live in fear."
In the United States, "Bike Around the
Bomb" demonstrations took place in Washington, DC; San Francisco, CA;
Chicago, IL; New Orleans, LA; Seattle, WA; Orlando, FL; New York, NY; Fresno,
CA; Grand Junction, CO; Iowa City, IA; Pittsburgh, PA; Concord, NH; Asheville,
NC; Eugene, OR; Lexington, SC; and Rock Hill, SC. Global Zero members in
Cyprus, Germany, India and Pakistan also hosted demonstrations in their
communities.
For more information, or for
interviews with Global Zero leaders, please contact Brett Abrams at (516)
841-1105 or by email at brett@fitzgibbonmedia.com.
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Global Zero is the
international movement for the elimination of nuclear weapons. It is led by
more than 300 eminent world leaders and backed by half a million citizens
worldwide. Fore more information, please visit www.globalzero.org
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