For a Peaceful, Just, and Sustainable World Free of Nuclear Weapons, Military Bases and War Womens Peace Fund Contributes to Developing Cooperation and Solidarity between Women of Japan and Women All around the World
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Emily Rubino
2023年
3・1ビキニデー
Director for Policy and Outreach Peace Action New York State (PANYS)
No Nukes! Women’s Forum 2019
Hi Everyone! My name is Emily and I am the Director of Policy and Outreach at Peace Action New York State, which is part of the largest grassroots peace network in the United States. Last year, I marched in the Peace march through the Hiroshima prefecture, and stayed for the World Conference portion in Hiroshima. It is good to see so many familiar faces, and to meet so many new people here as well. I am so grateful to the Women’s Peace Fund for allowing me the opportunity to come again this year.
My favorite memory from last year was the Women’s Forum. There is something so powerful about having women peace activists from all over the world come together in one place. We all know: there is no peace unless women are integral to the process. Women, Trans folks, and gender non-conforming people are some of the most vulnerable populations. As long as inequality continues to exist, we must continue to center the voices of those most marginalized and most impacted by war.
Women have been leading peace work on the ground through grassroots efforts, and all too often we do not get the recognition we deserve, and we are all too often left out of important high-level negotiations or not given high-level positions. We need more women in leadership positions, paving the way. We need an intersectional feminist approach to peace. I am proud to be a young woman of color serving as director for my organization. I do not look like the leadership of many other peace organizations or anti-nuclear organizations in the U.S. My hope is that more women- and women of color- take the lead on this important work. To quote one of my favorite activists, Audre Lorde, “I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.”
In the U.S. overall, the face of the peace movement is older white men. We must change this. In order for the peace movement to survive, we need to center the experiences of those most affected. We need to build solidarity with environmental movements, racial justice movements, and gender equity movements. We need to continue to educate the next generation on the horrible effects of nuclear weapons, and all the ways these weapons are connected to domestic issues they care about. I am honored to work with 20 student chapters on college campuses across New York State that understand these connections, and are ready to carry on the torch. In order for us to see nuclear weapons banned in our lifetimes, we need women to be front and center, leading the charge. Here’s to all the incredible women in this room and those who could not be here- may we continue to work towards peace. No Nukes! Thank you.
