Local Groups to Host Interfaith Vigil to Commemorate July 16, 1945 Trinity Nuclear Test in New Mexico

To commemorate the 78^th anniversary of the first detonation of an atomic weapon at the nearby Trinity Test Site, the complete elimination of nuclear weapons must be prioritized.  A free in-person and live streamed public event entitled “From Reflection to Action: An Interfaith Remembrance of the Trinity Test” will be held at the Santa Maria de la Paz Community Hall in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Sunday, July 16^th from 4 to 6 pm.  Doors open at 3:15 pm so you may view exhibits on nuclear issues and visit with representatives of local organizations.

Among the scheduled speakers is Most Reverend John C. Wester, Archbishop of Santa Fe.  Wester declared, “We can no longer deny or ignore the extremely dangerous predicament of our human family.  We are in a new nuclear arms race far more dangerous than the first, and I believe we need to rejuvenate a sustained, serious conversation about universal, verifiable nuclear disarmament.”

The government did not warn or evacuate the estimated tens of thousands of people living within a 50-mile radius of the Trinity Test blast.  The detonation produced more heat and light than the sun, generating radioactive ash that fell for days.  The communities downwind of the blast saw a spike in infant deaths in the months after the explosion and, generations later, continue to suffer its effects.

Tina Cordova, event co-organizer and co-founder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, said, “We don’t ask IF we’ll get cancer, we ask WHEN it will be our turn.  The government basically walked away from the people of New Mexico and has taken no responsibility for all the sacrifice, suffering, and the dying.”

Attendees will learn about actions they can take toward a world without nuclear weapons, such as calling on congresspeople to co-sponsor U.S. House Resolution 77, “Embracing the Goals and Provisions of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.”  They will be encouraged to join forces with the grassroots Back from the Brink coalition to spur communities to adopt resolutions urging the U.S. to prioritize negotiations toward the complete elimination of nuclear weapons, and to extend and expand victim assistance and environmental remediation at local nuclear weapons facilities.

The Archdiocese of Santa Fe, Nuclear Watch New Mexico, Soka Gakkai International-USA, Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, and United Church of Santa Fe are organizing the event.

For more information and to pre-register, go to https://archdiosf.org/social-justice

A gentle reminder:  CCNS is seeking donations large and small through throughout the summer as we challenge DOE, WIPP and LANL in court and to keep the Update and social media program going.  We are extremely grateful for your support! 

1. Friday, July 7th from noon to 1 pm MT – Join the weekly peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament on the corners of Alameda and Guadalupe in downtown Santa Fe with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, Pax Christi, Nonviolent Santa Fe, and others.

2. Saturday, July 8^th through Sunday, July 9^th for a 24-Hour Peace Wave 2023 on Zoom, produced by International Peace Bureau and World BEYOND War. It begins on Sat. July 8^th at 9 am Eastern, 7 am Mountain; and ends on Sun. July 9^th at 9 am Eastern, 7 am Mountain.  Watch live peace actions in the streets and squares of the world moving around the globe with the sun.  To register:  https://worldbeyondwar.org/wave/

3. Saturday, July 15^th from 7 am to 9 am MT free virtual meeting of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space – Latest development on war via space. https://space4peace.org/  To register:  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/global-network-31st-annual-meeting-latest-developments-on-war-via-space-tickets-638565886757  

4. Saturday, July 15^th from 7 am to 4 pm – 44^th Annual Church Rock Uranium Tailings Spill Commemoration, hosted by the Red Water Pond Road Community, the Eastern Navajo Diné Against Uranium Mining, and the Pipeline Road Community. For more information, please contact Susan Gordon at sgordon@swuraniumimpacts.org

5. Save the date: Saturday, August 5^th in Albuquerque – Peace Commemoration in collaboration with Hiroshima Day in Japan.  Details to follow.

Tags: Archbishop of Santa Fe, Back from the Brink, interfaith vigil, Most Reverend John C. Wester, Nuclear Watch New Mexico, Soka Gakkai International-USA, Tina Cordova, trinity test site, Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, U.S. House Resolution 77 “Embracing the Goals and Provisions of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, United Church of Santa Fe