Commemorations of the Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

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by Manuel Camacho, Chairman of the City of New Haven Peace Commission

The City of New Haven Peace Commission, in conjunction with the Greater New Haven U.S. Peace Council, organized the 81st Commemorations of the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9 respectively. Attendees and speakers, including State Representative Pat Dillon, former Mayor Toni Harp, and Alder Amanda Martinelli among others, gathered on the New Haven Green to commemorate Hiroshima, and in front of the Amistad Memorial next to New Haven City Hall, to commemorate Nagasaki.

On Aug. 6, Manuel Camacho, Chairman of the City of New Haven Peace Commission, read two statements to participants gathered on the New Haven Green. One statement was from Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba, a former mayor of Hiroshima, Japan. Akiba wanted Manuel to read his Peace Declaration from 1999, which Akiba says is still the closest statement to his heart he has ever delivered. Read the statement here: bit.ly/4zqMvhK.

The second statement came from the Secretary-General of the International Association of Peace Messenger Cities and was read on both days. New Haven is a member city of the IAPMC and is one of only seven in the entire United States. The Secretary-General, Mayor Tilen Klugler of Slovenj Gradec, sent his remarks to be read at the commemorations.

Below is an excerpt from the letter:

The International Association of Peace Messenger Cities remains deeply grateful to the City of New Haven and to the New Haven Peace Commission for the vision, commitment, and leadership you have shown over the years. Your support during those formative years helped lay the foundations of our Association, and your continued dedication to promoting peace, dialogue, and international understanding has kept those founding ideals alive. It is through the commitment of communities like yours that the Peace Messenger Cities movement continues to grow and inspire cities around the world.

 

On behalf of our member cities across the world, the IAPMC expresses its sincere appreciation to the people of New Haven for carrying forward this important tradition of remembrance and peace. May your commemoration serve as a source of inspiration for all who believe that peace is not only an aspiration, but a shared responsibility. Together, through the efforts of communities around the world, we can continue to build a future shaped by dialogue, cooperation, and hope.

The Nuclear Arms Race Has to Stop!

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by Ann Froines, Back from the Brink

August 6 and August 9 were the anniversaries of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States Army Air Forces just days before the end of World War II. Our national and local media gave little attention to this anniversary, even as the Hibakusha—Japanese survivors of these bombings—still tell their stories in their international campaign for nuclear disarmament and world peace. NHK World – Japan, the international public television station of Japan, carried the film, The Pursuit of Peace, which describes the decades of worldwide peacemaking by the Hibakusha. Their goal is to make the Nagasaki bombing the last atomic explosion humankind will ever face.

Back from the Brink-CT Hub offers readers this update on media resources in the campaigns to prevent nuclear testing, for nuclear diplomacy (treaties) and the eventual abolition of nuclear weapons.

1. Back from the Brink website (preventnuclearwar.org) now has a series of podcasts from experts and activists discussing nuclear abolition. One podcast features Tina Cordova, a co-founder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium (trinitydownwinders.com) which advocates for those affected by radiation as a result of the first atomic explosion at the Trinity Nuclear Weapon Testing Ground in New Mexico, other tests in the Solomon Islands and elsewhere in the Pacific.

After a 20-year campaign directed at the U. S. Congress, $8 billion was appropriated for compensation to the victims who suffered from radiation poisoning, many cancer deaths, and increased infant mortality. See the website for information about the 2023 documentary film, First We Bombed New Mexico.

2. An Ordinary Insanity is a 30-minute film of Daniel Ellsberg’s final plea for nuclear disarmament, made freely available to all by the Ellsberg family as his final legacy before his death. Ellsberg, well before the Pentagon Papers reveal and controversy, started his career at the Rand Corporation developing nuclear weapon strategy. His plea argues that “national security” cannot be obtained by nuclear weapon superiority or an arms race, but instead guarantees just the opposite: the end of civilization in a nuclear Armageddon. Search for “anordinaryinsanity’ to find the film available on YouTube.

Readers, please join this campaign by writing to U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy urging him to support Senate Resolution 323, an act urging the United States to pursue a verifiable agreement among nuclear-armed states to eliminate their nuclear arsenals. These unstable times show the urgency of taking nuclear weapons off hair-trigger alert.

Back from the Brink-CT preventnuclearwar.org
ann.froines@gmail.com

Authors at the New Haven Library in September

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by New Haven Free Public Library

Jill Snyder, author and historian, will be at the Ives Library on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2-4 p.m. Her presentation will be Black Women in the American Revolution of 1776. Since retiring from a corporate career, Jill has devoted her time to researching Black history. When it was suggested that she research the experiences of Black women in the Revolutionary War era, she readily said, “Yes!” Through scouring journal articles and books, Jill has discovered stories of daring Black women who, despite the chaos of war, were able to carve out a unique place in history. For more info about Jill: https://www.jillmariesnyder.com.

On Thursday, Sept. 24, 6–7:30 p.m., author Hélène Landemore will talk on the intriguing topic What Would Politics Look Like … Without Politicians? Hélène is an acclaimed political theorist and author of the groundbreaking new book Politics Without Politicians: The Case for Citizen Rule. Hélène will discuss her book, the Connecticut Citizens’ Assemblies taking place this summer (as well as the international movement), and will welcome questions and conversation around the idea that, although politics may have failed us, we can create other, better ways of practicing democracy.

Both events are at the Ives Main Library, 133 Elm St., New Haven. The library is wheelchair accessible.

Watch ‘American Doctor’

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by LouAnn Villani, Middle East Crisis Committee

American Doctor is a non-fiction film following three American physicians – Palestinian, Jewish and Zoroastrian, Dr. Thaer Ahmad, Dr. Mark Perlmutter and Dr. Feroze Sidhwa. They recount horrors and barbarities they witnessed while volunteering in Gaza during Israel’s ongoing genocide. It’s professionally made by director Poh Si Teng but won’t be coming to a screen near you (unless you campaign for it). Search for it and travel to see it.

Clips were featured on Democracy Now! on Aug. 14 (see democracynow.org for the video and full transcript).

DR. THAER AHMAD: “I want to just take you through what it looks like when a hospital gets targeted and attacked, because this has become a pattern when it comes to the Israeli military. This has become a behavior that they started in October of 2023 when they struck Al-Mamadani Ahli Baptist Hospital. And when that happened and that there was no accountability, we saw that this became a series of events that attacked every hospital.”

DR. MARK PERLMUTTER: “As a Jewish physician, I knew nothing about Gaza. Like most Americans, I thought everybody out here were nothing but terrorists, because that’s what I was told.”

DR. FEROZE SIDHWA: “I’m not Israeli. I’m not Palestinian. I’m not Christian. I’m not Muslim. I’m not Jewish. And I don’t really have any connection to it. But as an American, I just don’t want my government involved in crimes.”

At the end of their segment the doctors talk briefly in tribute to Dr. Abu Safiya [pictured below], who has been imprisoned and tortured by Israel since Dec. 2024. As this was written, August 18, Dr. Abu Safiya was still alive. That’s quite an achievement. In the last visit he had from his lawyer the doctor said, “They brought me here to kill me. I don’t see myself surviving.” His attorney Nasser Odeh said he was in critical condition. The doctor had been beaten by guards with hammers. He’s in an underground cell in a prison in Israel – no charge, no trial. There’s a Congressional letter calling for the doctor’s release and all five members of the CT delegation have signed it. See more at FreeDrAbuSafiya.org.

 

Port Elizabeth NJ Shut Down by Anti-Genocide Activists

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by Mark Colville, Amistad Catholic Worker

There are two major international shipping companies (Maersk and Zimm) operating out of Port Elizabeth, NJ, which handle the bulk of arms shipments to the rogue nation of Israel for its relentless genocidal campaign of terror in the West Bank and Gaza. In October, 2025, and again on May 22 of this year, the entrance to the port was blockaded by local activists at significant physical and legal risk, in the attempt to terminate our nation’s criminal collusion in this unmitigated evil. The loading of the ships was interrupted for several hours, and apparently at significant financial cost to the shipping companies engaged in this criminal behavior. Both groups of activists were originally charged with multiple felonies, carrying the risk of several years in prison upon conviction. Subsequently, that was shown to have been a vacuous threat: in response to their collective refusal to accept any plea of guilty to a lesser “crime,” all of the serious charges in both cases were reduced to misdemeanors, and the matters have now been remanded to municipal court.

On August 4, the five indicted activists who had performed the first blockade, most of whom hail from upstate New York, journeyed several hours by car in order to appear at trial in Elizabeth municipal court the following day. This is a trial that they have insisted upon by refusing to take any plea to a lesser charge. They’d made the exact same journey less than thirty days previously, taking two days away from work and family responsibilities, only to be told at the hearing that the prosecution was not ready, and a postponement was necessary. But then, once again, at approximately 4:45 p.m. on October 5, the court sent an email to one of the accused, indicating that the state was still not prepared to go forward, and therefore the trial would, for the third time in 10 months, be postponed again. By the time anyone was informed, they’d already arrived in New Jersey. The ongoing duplicity of the court is on full display here: they show no compunction about arresting people for constitutionally protected public action, and then charging them beyond the realm of sanity and proportionality, simply as a cynical method of coercion in service to keeping the U.S. government’s status quo of criminality beyond the scrutiny of the public. At this writing, the judge has still refused to dismiss the case based on the violation of their constitutional right to a speedy trial.

Inspired by the October ’25 activists, I chose to join the second direct action this past May. (See a filmed report on this action as it happened, here: bit.ly/45HTghK.) On August 6 (the eighty-first anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima), we ten accused were finally brought to court for our first hearing – not in person but by a Zoom link! You can stay tuned for updates on the legal progress of this saga if you like. Just don’t expect anything to come from the courts that even pretends to be about the pursuit of justice. The law is simply being used as a bureaucratic weapon by these duplicitous and overburdened legal functionaries, for the purposes of institutionalizing government impunity and keeping those of us engaged in responsible citizenship in a constant state of instability and fear.

International Day of Peace Event Sept. 19

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by Manuel Camacho, Chairman of the City of New Haven Peace Commission

The City of New Haven Peace Commission invites you to save the date for this year’s Peace Tree planting in observance of the International Day of Peace. This year, the Commission will be planting the tree at Alderwoman Honda Smith’s community center, The Shack. The community center is located at 333 Valley St., New Haven, CT 06515. The date is Sept. 19 and the time is TBA.

Come join us and others as we gather to observe the International Day of Peace and to thank Alder Honda Smith for all that she has done for her community and youth, and for being a supporter of the Peace Commission.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to reach out to the Chairman of the Peace Commission, Manuel Camacho. Email manueldcamacho52@gmail.com.

News from Mothers & Others for Justice

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by Merryl Eaton, Director of Advocacy and Education Project, CCA

Mothers & Others for Justice (MOFJ) is a New Haven-based grassroots advocacy group sponsored by Christian Community Action. MOFJ believes that the voices of people most affected by an issue should be heard and that their recommendations should help shape public policy.

For more than 30 years, MOFJ has worked across interconnected issues including economic justice, health equity, affordable housing, and child welfare reform.

One of MOFJ’s newest areas of work is child welfare reform. Through its Family & Child Welfare Collaborative (FCWC), MOFJ brings together people with lived experience with the Department of Children and Families (DCF) system, advocates, community lawyers, and community partners. The goal is to advance accountability, transparency, and meaningful reform while ensuring that families directly affected have MOFJ believes families need a child welfare system that protects children while respecting parents, recognizing family strengths, and providing support before crises escalate. Effective reform must be shaped by those who have experienced the system firsthand.

MOFJ’s health equity work follows the same principle. Its HEALTH subcommittee—Helping Everyone Achieve Lifelong Trusted Healthcare—centers the voices of residents who face barriers to care. The group asks practical questions: Can families afford care? Do they have access to providers they trust? Are their concerns taken seriously? How do poverty, transportation, and housing instability affect their health?

HEALTH also focuses on Black maternal health, providing training to equip members to become maternal health champions.

MOFJ also works with community organizations on housing issues and builds leadership and advocacy skills among residents. The goal is not simply participation, but meaningful power—the knowledge, relationships, and confidence needed to influence policies that shape daily life.

MOFJ’s greatest strength is its relationships. Members consistently show up at community events, legislative meetings, rallies, workshops, and town halls. They speak with neighbors, connect residents to resources, and collaborate with partners.

MOFJ believes change happens with communities, not to them. New Haven’s communities hold knowledge, resilience, and leadership. When residents organize around shared concerns, their voices can become a powerful force for change.

We welcome you to join our efforts. Contact Merryl Eaton at merryleaton@ccahelping.org.

Fall Conference to Thwart Tech Bros’ Data Centers

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by Stanley Heller, Administrator, Promoting Enduring Peace

You know about the huge data centers springing up everywhere to power the AI computers. They’re noisy 24/7, taking up huge amounts of water and often raising electricity rates for surrounding communities. In the short term, they’ll need lots of methane- (natural gas) burning power plants to provide electricity. But the tech bros plan to replace that with nuclear power plants in the mid-term. Right now CT has only one nuclear power plant, Millstone, but the CT legislature has repealed its flat ban on more nuclear power plants and has set aside $5 million to find communities that will house the nuke plants.

Nuclear power has at least one fatal flaw: its radioactive waste. The waste is dangerous for thousands of years and is kept at the plants “temporarily” in steel/concrete casks. The problem is there’s no safe way to dispose of the dangerous waste so “temporary” likely means “forever.” So if a community goes along with the drive for more nuclear power it can expect to keep and guard that waste permanently.

We’re told there’s this great need for more electricity for the AI, but there’s no necessity for more AI. Some of AI holds promise but a lot of it is openly designed to eliminate jobs. What’s really needed is a program to deal with the global warming emergency that’s causing climate collapse. Solar, wind, batteries and mandatory conservation measures can do the job.

The conference will likely take place in November with some high-powered speakers and community activists who have taken on data centers in their areas. Those interested in planning it can contact Promoting Enduring Peace at office@pepeace.org or (203) 444-3578.

[“Tech bro” is a slang term for stereotypically masculine individuals working in the technology industry, particularly programming.]

¡Fiesta Latina! 2026, Sept. 26-27

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by Yale Peabody Museum

The Yale Peabody Museum and Junta for Progressive Action will host ¡Fiesta Latina!, a celebration of Hispanic cultures that features music and other community events.

The free all-ages celebration will take place Sept. 26 and 27. Junta for Progressive Action will host programming at 175 Grand Ave., New Haven from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26.

From noon to 5 p.m, on Sunday, Sept. 27, there will be music and dance performances held at the Peabody Museum, located at 170 Whitney Ave. Spanish-speaking scientists will be at the museum, and there will be Spanish-language family workshops, games, and storytelling. Details are at https://peabody.yale.edu/events/fiesta-latina-2026.

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