Attorney; Representative, 1998 - Present, of Philadelphia Bar Association to the NGO Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC) and the Washington Working Group for the ICC (WICC)
Clinical Professor at NYU’s Center for Global Affairs and Director of the Concentration in International Law and Human Rights, New York University; Convenor Global Institute for the Prevention of Aggression (GIPA); CICC and WICC
Board of Governors Professor Emeritus, Rutgers University at Camden’s School of Law; Drafting Committee of International Criminal Court Treaty (ICC)
International Justice Director, Human Rights Watch; Former Secretariat Director, CICC; WICC
Long-standing peace activist, Fr. Pat Sieber will celebrate the 10:30 Mass after which we'll congregate at the Peace Monument across from the church for a brief ceremony marked by ringing the church bell and words of remembrance to honor the victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
For those in the vicinity of Princeton, NJ, CFPA's 45th Annual Commemoration Event of the atomic bombings, will be held on Hinds Plaza from 7:00-8:30 PM on Monday, August 5. If you can, consider attending both of these important observances!
We are honored to have the deep perspective of Shiho Burke, whose family's first-hand experience of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima -- including her mother's survival -- both informs and drives her peace activism.
In her own words ...
"Growing up in Hiroshima amidst my parents' firsthand experiences of the atomic bombing profoundly influenced my dedication to advocating for world peace. At the age of 10, I starred in the movie White Town Hiroshima (Shiroi machi hiroshima), directed by the renowned Tengo Yamada -- known for Barefoot Gen -- and produced by Kaneto Shindô, whose film Postcard was Japan's official submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2012 Academy Awards.
By the time I was 16, as a member of the Crane Club at Hiroshima Jogakuin High School and a Peace Ambassador, I had the opportunity to travel to Europe with a Hiroshima TV crew to film a documentary. During this journey, I visited the family of the architect of the Atomic Dome, Jan Letzel, who was Czechoslovakian. I also visited Berlin, including Hitler's last residence, and one of the concentration camps, Theresienstadt.
In recent years, while raising three children, managing several businesses, and working as a translator, I have continued to actively participate in peace events as a speaker whenever possible. Currently, I am dedicated to completing my mother's memoir, with upcoming plans to focus on this project further this fall when my son departs for Princeton University."
Also speaking will be long-time CFPA member Jeffrey Laurenti, who most recently served as Executive Director of Policy Studies at the United Nations Association of the United States (UNA-USA) and as Director of Foreign Policy Programs at The Century Foundation. He directed international task forces on peace-making in Afghanistan and on UNESCO, and of UNA studies with grassroots components on global environmental policy, narcotics, and arms control. Before entering the U.N. arena he served as executive director of the New Jersey Senate majority.
Jeff will give an historical retrospective from the 1945 bombings, through the nuclear arms race, to the major nuclear arms reductions of the 1980s, and a 21st century perspective on the challenges we face now with a new nuclear arms race and the looming expiration of the New START Treaty, the only remaining nuclear arms restraint among the countries that hold nuclear weapons.
The origami crane folding activity will include instruction for children. This activity is included as origami cranes are the Japanese symbol for globally banning nuclear weapons. Candle lighting and a moment of silence will conclude the Program.
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While the event is FREE and open to the public, for best planning we do ask that those planning to attend the 7:00 PM Program RSVP to
For those in the vicinity of Camden, NJ, for whom Princeton might be too far, there will be an excellent opportunity to attend Sacred Heart Peace Community's Commemoration of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings on Sunday morning, August 4th. If you can, consider attending both of these important observances!
Rev. Adam Russell Taylor is president of Sojourners and author of A More Perfect Union: A New Vision for Building the Beloved Community.
Taylor previously led the Faith Initiative at the World Bank Group and served as the vice president in charge of Advocacy at World Vision U.S. and the senior political director at Sojourners. He has also served as the executive director of Global Justice, an organization that educates and mobilizes students around global human rights and economic justice.
He was selected for the 2009/2010 class of White House Fellows and served in the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs and Public Engagement. Taylor is a graduate of Emory University, the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government, and the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology. Taylor also serves on the Independent Sector Board, the Global Advisory Board of Tearfund UK, and is a member of the inaugural class of the Aspen Institute Civil Society Fellowship.
Taylor is ordained in the American Baptist Church and the Progressive National Baptist Convention and serves in ministry at the Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, VA.
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