TORONTO CITY HALL: The Hiroshima Nagasaki Day Coalition (HNDC) will mark the 80th Anniversary Commemoration of the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6, 2025.
I urge everyone around the world to create opportunities in your own countries to listen to the testimonies of A-bomb survivors, and to feel, with deep sensitivity, the true inhumanity of nuclear weapons. -Terumi Tanaka, Nihon Hidankyo, Nobel Peace Prize laureate 2024
Reflecting on “80 Years of the Nuclear Age: Remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki” Setsuko Thurlow, who accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) in 2017, will speak of her lifelong commitment to the abolition of nuclear weapons.
Setsuko will invite four local youth leaders to share their experiences in the campaign for nuclear weapons abolition, including Canadian Voice of Women for Peace’s National Coordinator, Alley McDonald. Musical presentations will be offered by a Japanese Canadian youth and adult choirs as well as renowned flutist Ron Korb.
Community and craft tables will be on site August 6th from 4:00 to 6:30 pm, providing attendees with opportunities to learn about peace initiatives and create lanterns. The commemoration ceremony will follow from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, concluding with a moving lantern ceremony to honour the memories of those harmed by the bombings. This free, family-friendly event invites the public to join in remembering the past and advocating for a nuclear-free future.
I have told the story of my miraculous escape from hell countless times because I have never lost hope in the capacity of humanity to save itself from the worst of its inventions. -Setsuko Thurlow
Also marking the 80th anniversary, the “Canada and the Atom Bomb” photo exhibition will be on display in the Toronto City Hall Rotunda, 10 am to 4 pm daily, August 5 – 9. The photo exhibit features 100 photographs documenting Canada’s participation in the Manhattan Project. It can also be viewed online at the Toronto Metropolitan University website https://hiroshima.imagearts.torontomu.ca/canada-and-the-atom-bomb/
For further information please contact Rosemary Keenan, Chair of the Hiroshima Nagasaki Day coalition, at 647-636 7850 or at prmkeenan@gmail.com
Website: https://hiroshimadaycoalition.ca/