DIOCESE OF SANTA FE NEWS RELEASE
| On July 19 at 2:30 p.m. at St. Michael’s High School (100 Siringo Rd. Santa Fe, NM 87505), local faith leaders, nuclear disarmament advocates, environmental organizations, and community members will gather to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the Trinity Test, the world’s first atomic bomb detonation, which took place in New Mexico on July 16, 1945. The interfaith vigil will call for nuclear disarmament and renewed action toward peace and environmental justice. Most Reverend John C. Wester, Archbishop of Santa Fe, will lead the fourth annual commemoration, reflecting on the lasting human, moral, and environmental consequences of nuclear weapons. “The U.S. is spending two trillion taxpayer dollars on nuclear weapons,” organizers said. “Our world is torn apart by war, climate change, and growing economic inequality. The last thing we need is a new nuclear arms race.” Eighty-one years ago, the Trinity Test changed history forever. Tens of thousands of New Mexicans — many from Hispanic and Native communities — were exposed to radioactive fallout without warning or evacuation. “We don’t ask IF we’ll get cancer; we ask WHEN it will be our turn,” said Tina Cordova, co-founder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium. People throughout New Mexico who meet certain qualifications can now apply for $100,000 in compensation on their behalf and on behalf of their deceased loved ones through the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA). Come learn more about the program and how to file a claim. Participants will hear how they can promote nuclear disarmament, with a special emphasis on youth and the future. Although nuclear-armed states pledged disarmament under the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, organizers say nations are moving backward through massive “modernization” programs designed to keep nuclear weapons indefinitely.Experts will speak on plutonium “pit” bomb core production at Los Alamos National Laboratory, the multi-generational harms of the Trinity Test, and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Secretary James C. Kenney of the New Mexico Environment Department will outline the department’s efforts to hold the federal government accountable for cleanup efforts and the protection of New Mexico’s water resources. Other speakers include Dr. Michael Ketterer, Professor Emeritus at Northern Arizona University; Jay Coghlan, Executive Director of Nuclear Watch New Mexico; and Tina Cordova, Co-founder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium. The event is organized by the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, Back from the Brink New Mexico Hub, Interfaith Power and Light New Mexico, Nuclear Watch New Mexico, Soka Gakkai International-USA, and the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium. Pre-registration and livestream information available here.Contact: Archdiocese of Santa Fe’s Office of Social Justice and Respect Life, 505.831.8205 or bzamora@asfnm.org. |