Greenfield Recorder, Monday, August 10, 2020

Norm Hirschfeld of Greenfield and Sally Stuffin of Wendell hold a sign across from the Greenfield Town Common to note the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. STAFF PHOTO/MARY BYRNE

A vigil for peace, remembrance

GREENFIELD

By MARY BYRNE

Staff Writer

GREENFIELD — A number people from Greenfield and the surrounding communities gathered on the Town Common Saturday morning in remembrance of the 75th anniversary of the 1945 bombing of two Japanese cities.

“We’re just here to remember and honor the incredible tragedy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,” said Wendell resident Sally Stuffin.

A memorial service was held Thursday night in Turners Falls to mark the date on which the United States dropped an atomic bombing on Hiroshima — Aug. 6, 1945. A memorial for Nagasaki was scheduled at the Easthampton Library on Sunday, Aug. 9, the date which marks the anniversary of the bombing.

“This time slot from 11 to 12 in Greenfield on the common has been a place of vigil for peace every Saturday since the buildup for the first Iraq war,” said Stuffin. “The issues have changed over time.”

Stuffin and others held signs on Saturday with messages advocating against war, calling specifically for the elimination of nuclear weapons. At least one sign called for cutting the U.S. military and reallocating those resources to social services.

“This year is the 75th year since the bombing and we are still, as close

as ever to … nuclear war,” said Stuffin. “And this president is doing everything he can to speed that up … and to continue to escalate the tensions.”

Stuffin said her presence on the common for this issue and others each week is important to getting those messages into the public sphere.

“It’s important to be visible and let people know the status quo is not OK,” she said.

Copyright © 2020 Greenfield Recorder 8/10/2020