by Matt Shorten
The founders of Shintaido realized the world needed new approaches to conflict resolution, as they acknowledged many of the old ways were no longer useful. On August 6th and 9th, people around the world will be commemorating the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
A small nonprofit organization in Worcester, MA, USA -The Center for Nonviolent Solutions is sponsoring and coordinating activities for disarmament advocates to make a significant impact- both locally and globally. This project is an interfaith, interracial and international coalition, involving Hibakusha, congressmen, Catholic bishops, Buddhists and ordinary citizens both here and in Japan. The ultimate goal is to bring folks together to support the movement toward nuclear disarmament. I urge all who read this to participate in any way you can, wherever you can.
The Project: Marking the 80th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Center for Nonviolent Solutions is sponsoring a project to raise awareness of the opportunity presented by the UN Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons to realize the goal of a nuclear weapons free world. While the precise design and dimensions of the commemoration are still emerging, these elements are clear:
- We will engage people in the 2nd Massachusetts Congressional District, directly through public dis course and through civic and religious organizations, student groups. We will ask people to partici pate in the global commemoration of the anniversary with local actions including: Walks and vigils, learning groups, local pilgrimages, letters to leaders and other initiatives.
- We will organize a small group of people to travel to Japan to honor the Hibakusha (Atomic bomb survivors). We intend that the group traveling to Japan be broadly representative and include young and old, indigenous people, and people of color.
- We will make a particular effort to reach out to younger people who might not be aware of the nuclear threat.
Contact: Charlie Washburn | cjwashburn@Gmail.com | 508-868-1267
https://hiroshimacommemoration.my.canva.site
Pilgrimage to Japan
In August 2025 we will send a group of US citizens to Japan to stand with the survivors and pledge our commitment to eliminating all nuclear weapons. We are seeking approval of the US House of Represen tatives to include Congressman James McGovern and other members of Congress. Our trip will take 7 days between August 3 and August 10.
We will join other US citizens lead by Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe New Mexico who has formed a partnership with the Bishops of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The pilgrimage will serve several purposes:
- Embrace the Hibakusha’s (Bomb Survivors) expressed goal achieving a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again. The extraordinary efforts of Nihon Hidankyo and other representatives of the Hi bakusha were awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize and have contributed greatly to the establish ment of a nuclear taboo.
- Amplify the 80th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to awaken US citizens to the threat posed by nuclear weapons and the arms race that will result from the US investment in “modernization” of our nuclear arsenal.
- Animate a movement for the US to lead the way for the countries possessing nuclear weapons to employ the UN Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons as the vehicle to achieve a global ver ifiable elimination of the nuclear threat. Efforts will include continuing education efforts with civic and faith based groups and support for the formation of a Back from the Brink Hub in Worcester and helping to organize groups of Students for Nuclear Disarmament at Worcester Schools
- We will also present films and speakers on topics related to nuclear disarmament to increase public awareness.
Background: In November 2023, at a reception celebrating Dorothy Day’s birthday during the second Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty Prohibiting Nuclear Weapons in New York City, I asked Archbish op Wester how other people and groups committed to the abolition of nuclear weapons could support his efforts. He had just described the partnership between two US Catholic diocese and their counter
parts in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He thought a moment and promised to discuss the notion with his colleagues. I was in NYC to support the action taken at the US Mission to the UN to call on the US to sign the treaty. I was struck by the fact that the Archbishop, who was clearly the most prominent leader in the American Church to address the meeting and Member of Congress Jim McGovern, the highest ranking member of US government to speak to the assembly had crossed paths without meeting.
It took months and the opportunity to let my mind wander and explore enough while walking the ancient pilgrim’s path El Camino de Santiago in Spain that the notion of journeying with the Bishops began to take form. Eventually it occurred to me that we might devise a way to have some Americans join with the Bishops and the people of Japan in commemoration of the bombing 80 years ago this August in a way that might move the US closer to accepting a ban on nuclear weapons.
In September I had the pleasure of introducing Archbishop Wester and Representative McGovern via teleconference and they had a wonderful and energetic conversation. The US Presidential Election has distracted us since September and the election’s outcome was not obviously supportive of our intent, but we will press on.
I committed to them that I would begin to work on assembling some people from McGovern’s district to join him in Japan this August. I also said I would look for a way to support the Archbishop’s interest in engaging people of college age. Part of our conversation focused on the fact that many younger Amer icans are unaware of the threat posed by nuclear weapons, much less the massive reinvestment we are making in them. Fewer still know that the Catholic Church has decided that there is no justification for possessing nuclear weapons.
US Representatives McGovern and Jill Tokuda of Hawaii have reintroduced a House Resolution urging the United States to return to the negotiations table on nuclear disarmament and to Leland the global effort to reduce and eliminate nuclear weapons.
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If you’d like to connect with Shintaido folks living in Japan, contact Ms. Sumiko Koboyashi, or Tomoko Okada at Tenshinkai Office- email: Staff@tenshinkai.jp
If you’d like to join the pilgrimage from the U.S. to Japan, our guide for the group is Mihoko Wakabayashi. Her contact info in Worcester, MA is : Mihoko@Mihokotextiles.com
If you’d like to make a tax-deductible contribution to the project, you can send a check to:
The Center for Nonviolent Solutions, 901 Pleasant Street, Worcester, MA 01602
For more info, contact:
Matt Shorten, Mattshorten@yahoo.com. 978-434-1481
