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Haleigh Copley-Cunningham
Haleigh Copley-Cunningham
President, Tufts Peace Action
Intern, Massachusetts Peace Action
No Nukes! Women’s Forum 2016
My name is Haleigh and I am co-founder and President of Tufts Peace Action (TPA) in Boston, Massachusetts. TPA is a student activist group whose mission is to foster a more just and peaceful U.S. foreign policy, promote human rights, and bring an end to war and nuclear weapons. I stand before you as a representative for the growing college peace movement in America, and I offer words of encouragement: It takes to heart the stories of the Hibakusha, and is taking direct action for nuclear disarmament.
For me, I credit my father for instilling with me the principles of altruism at a young age. From volunteering at the local food banks to being active in community service groups like girl scouts, making the world a better place has been a central focus in my life. My passion for studying foreign language and cultures also drives me to think globally and strive for international collaboration and unity.
My involvement with Peace Action began when I skipped class to attend a talk by the famous linguist and activist, Noam Chomsky. The talk was held at my college and was hosted by Massachusetts Peace Action (MAPA), an organization that addresses issues that are most threatening to peace, including nuclear weapons. Noam Chomsky did an amazing job of educating (and terrifying) the packed auditorium about the very real threat of nuclear annihilation. That same night I met Cole Harrison of MAPA, and vowed to take on the task of establishing and leading a Peace Action chapter at my university.
In terms of nuclear disarmament, TPA has three strategies. The first is to educate our campus and community about the nuclear threat and increase stigmatization. For example, TPA hopes to invite the Hibakusha to speak at our campus. Our second strategy is to empower students to take political action in the form of petitions, demonstrations, writings, and lobbying. I personally know first-hand the power of lobbying. This past May I accompanied MAPA to Washington DC and lobbied with them. Two days before Obama went to Hiroshima, we delivered thousands of petitions to Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey calling on President Obama to take specific measures towards nuclear disarmament. The next day, I saw our lobbying efforts pay off when I watched Senator Markey speak to the U.S. Congress Senate and propose to delay funding of the proposed new nuclear cruise missile and call for a motion towards nuclear disarmament.
The last strategy’s basis comes from PAX’s “Don’t Bank on the Bomb Campaign”. Tufts Peace Action will enact a campaign to pressure Tufts to divest from banks, companies, and financial institutions that are involved in nuclear weapon production. Our goal is for Tufts to model the success of Cambridge city, which unanimously decided to divest their billion dollar city pension fund from funding such institutions involved with nuclear weapon production.
As stated before, the efforts of Tufts Peace Action represent the growing youth peace movement in America. It is important for established peace activist groups to inspire and nurture the next generation of activists by providing the resources students need in order to become effective leaders and activists.
I am so honored to attend this conference and to share my voice with an international audience. I hope my words can bring a sense of hope regarding the future of nuclear disarmament in the U.S. I think these conferences serve as an important tool to strengthen our movements. The peace movement is one that must transcend borders because the end, we are either going to live together, or we are going to die together. Thank you so much for this opportunity to speak!
