
Motivating change – a lesson from 2 train rides

Dear Ambassador Haley,
I was at the United Nations conference to negotiate a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, which started on March 27. I find it intriguing that those of us “activists” were inside the room, participating in the international law making process, while you and some other government leaders decided to boycott and protest it outside the room.
While we were celebrating the beginning of this historic process, with the determination to make the 72-year-old goal of abolishing nuclear weapons a reality, you held a press conference.
You said:
“As a mom, as a daughter, there is nothing I want more for my family than a world with no nuclear weapons. But we have to be realistic. Is there anyone that believes that North Korea would agree to a ban on nuclear weapons?
…. in this day and time we would love to have a ban on nuclear weapons but in this day and time we can’t honestly say that we can protect our people by allowing the bad actors to have them and those of us that are good trying to keep peace and safety not to have them.”
To me, it is beyond my intellectual comprehension to say that we need nuclear weapons in order to protect our families, communities, cities, and countries, when those very weapons can not only destroy everything in an instant, but also have long-lasting, devastating impacts on health and environment for generations to come.
I am also a mother. My son recently turned 16 months. At the conference we heard a testimony of Mr. Toshiki Fujimori, who was 16-month-old when the atomic bomb was detonated in Hiroshima. He lost his sister in the attack. He recalled:
“Every year, on August 6th, my mother would gather all of us children and would talk to us about her experience in tears. I once asked my mother why she would speak about it if recalling the experience makes her suffer. ‘I can’t make you go through the same experience.’ That was her answer.
Her tears were her heartfelt appeal. She called, as a mother, for a world with no more hell on earth.”
Imagining the sadness of his mother for losing her child to the senseless attack, I’m at loss of words. But one thing is certain: I, too, want no nuclear weapons on this planet, so that no person will have to ever suffer the same hell they experienced. Nuclear weapons do not provide us with security; they make it possible that, their intentional or accidental use can cause tremendous suffering to countless people.
I know that, when my son grows up, he will be proud of me for being part of this movement to rid the world of nuclear weapons. He will understand that there is no better way to make this world safe, than removing the very causes of danger.
As a mother, I fight for nuclear abolition.
Yours sincerely,
Anna Ikeda
Today, the Metta Center for Nonviolence released its latest issue of monthly e-magazine, Emergence. The issue focused on Roadmap, a way of making the movement of movements visual. Roadmap is also a set of tools we can use as activists. It is Metta Center’s attempt to offer three things to help create an unstoppable movement: unity, strategy, and nonviolent power. The Vol 6 of Emergence will be a great “one-stop shop” for those seeking to learn more about Roadmap or simply trying become familiar with nonviolence and Metta’s work.
For this exciting issue, I helped compile all the pieces as a guest editor, and also contributed an article on “New Story,” one of the six wedges of Roadmap and one on which Metta Center places a great emphasis. It was also very timely that the latest issue of Yes! Magazine featured “The Power of Story.” The issue contains some powerful quotes on the need for new narratives that would remind us of our human dignity and interconnectedness with others.
Below is my article, “Story of New Story,” as published in Emergence. I hope you enjoy it and also read the rest of the issue!
Technology has changed the way we receive news. Not only do we get updates and breaking news instantly, we also have the ability to comment on articles and share on social media.
Every day, we read disheartening news from all over the world, such as the situation in Crimea and the scandal of a senator in California. Even after exploring so many human rights issues, it is still beyond me that human beings are extremely capable of harming others to promote self interests.
Equally disheartening to me, though, are some of the people’s comments, directed to in this case, Putin and Leland Yee. Continue reading
Before I post my part 2 on Venezuela, I wanted to get this post out.
While we tend to think of being an activist as something political or for a large social cause (and that is true), it is not the whole picture. To me, an activist is someone that seeks change for the better. It is someone who does not spare her voice for what she believes is right, one that does not settle for the status quo.
And if you think of it, we can apply that to any realm of life.
Yesterday, my friend reached out after she faced a problem at work. She was frustrated because she felt her hard work on a particular project was dismissed, and that the way the decision was made was not logical. While she knew something could have been done, she felt she would not be heard again. “I really don’t care at this point,” she said. Continue reading
Information for Youth attending the 50K festival from Las Vegas
Supporting the Heroic Anti-Fascist People of Ukraine
Physicians blogging about breastfeeding
Pugwash seeks a world free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. Through our long-standing tradition of ‘dialogue across divides’ that also earned us the Nobel Peace Prize in 1995, Pugwash aims to develop and support the use of scientific, evidence-based policymaking, focusing on areas where nuclear and WMD risks are present. By facilitating track 1.5 and track II dialogues, we foster creative discussions on ways to increase the security of all sides and promote policy development that is cooperative and forward-looking.
Finished artwork and projects in progress
Japan NGO Network for Nuclear Weapons Abolition
An IPPNW Campaign Kit
The Mothers (and Grandmothers) of Argentina