| Down by the Riverside |
| Written by Sarah Cartin | |||
| Sunday, 02 May 2010 06:35 | |||
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Hello again, We have been on the go non-stop at this end. The New York action has pushed our jetlag to the limit, plus trying to find wifi AND a free plug socket has been ever so slightly challenging! On Friday evening we joined delegates from across the world at the International Peace Conference in the Riverside Church in Harlem. The church is the famous which hosted Dr Martin Luther King Jr when he spoke out against the Vietnam war, and his legacy was key in setting the tone of the event. Many speakers quoted Dr King and his unoquivocal opposition to nuclear weapons. It reinforced to me the value of our work and our message of peace, and the disrespect so many world leaders and statesmen show when they reference Dr King yet ignore the action he called us all to take; "We have learned to fly the air like birds and swim the sea like fish, but we have not yet learned the simple art of living together like sisters and brothers". We heard of the devastating impact of the nuclear weapons dropped by the US on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. The destruction of entire families and neighbourhoods, the scenes of hell that the Hibakusha have had to suffer for the rest of their lives through burns, radiation, contamination and the psychological devastation that came out of this entirely deliberate and evil act of war. The economic situation, Obama's actions in office and the impact of NATO were just some of the themes discussed in the first session which can be viewed on the Riverside Church's own website; www.theriversidechurchny.org It was also brilliant to hear that 1,600 Japanese delegates are heading to New York to bring petitions containing over 7 million signatures against nuclear weapons to the NPT. In a brief fashion update, it turns out that the amazing rucksacks belong to the French delegation, who are also co-ordinating in matching anoraks. Whilst I haven't had an opportunity to try and blag either, I was lucky enough to enjoy the musical contribution from one of the French campaigners earlier on in the session. Sleeping for Peace (for a few hours anyway), Sarah
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