We Banned the Bomb!

Yes, celebrate—but be smart about it. Any celebration should include an action item that raises the profile of the Treaty in the US.

Goal #1 is to make people aware of the Treaty.

Goal #2 is to make sure they know that it is entering into force.

Goal #3 is to begin to use public awareness to pressure the government to recognize, sign, ratify and comply with the Treaty. If that sounds like a lot it is, and it will take time. But it will never happen if we don’t make it happen.

Here are some options. Some you can do all by yourself, others work better with a small group (please take pandemic precautions!). Pick one or more of your favorites.

And please, report back! This is crucial—even if your action is a simple one. We gain strength from working together and knowing that people all over are taking action. And your effort, large or small, is amplified when it is shared. We hope to build a database of actions to demonstrate widespread support for the Treaty across the country, so let us know what you have planned by emailing nuclearbantreatyEiF@gmx.com. You can also post your actions on Facebook at the Nuclear Ban Treaty EIF group; we will publicize other sites as they become available.

1. Everyone can learn about the Treaty, and you don’t have to wait until Jan 22. See this Fact Sheet or a quick google search will turn up resources.

2. Hang or hold a banner in a public space. Activists will be hanging banners at nuclear weapons sites and nuclear military bases across the country. We have a template that you can use to have a banner made (around $50 if you go online) that you can hang or hold at any federal building—your local post office, federal courthouse, congressperson’s office.

2b. Think a banner is a bit much? Here is a template for a poster size version of the Treaty that you can hold or deliver or post in the place of your choice.

3. Focus on the $$$. Our friends in Europe have been successful in pushing investment funds and corporations to divest from nuclear weapons funding—the Treaty gives us even more leverage. You can find a list of the companies and banks that invest in nuclear weapons at Don’t Bank on the Bomb. You can hold a poster outside the local Bank of America or Wells Fargo branch office. If your credit card is issued by a nuke-bank, you can change cards or write to the issuer and ask them to get out of the illegal nuclear weapons business.

4. Check out your local university or college. There is a list here of US educational institutions that are directly involved in supporting nuclear weapons production. Your local school not on the list? With a little digging, you might find out where their endowment funds are invested—see 3 above.

5. Write your congresspersons—Senators and Reps. Tell them you expect their name to be on the first bill introduced in the new Congress that addresses the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Tell them you’ll be watching. It is highly likely that Senator Ed Markey and Congressman Ted Lieu will introduce bills that include a call for the US to join the Treaty.

6. Write a letter to the editor. This is really important—it is a way to broaden your reach through the public media. Mention your congressional representatives by name so their staff will clip the letter and show it to their boss.

7. Share the news on social media—if you use instagram or facebook or if you tweet—you can share the ICAN pages and other news about the Entry Into Force.

8. Donate! You can write a check or give on-line. There are dozens of groups around the country that are dedicating themselves to long-haul work to make the promise of the Treaty a reality around the world and in the US. They rely on donations and public support to keep going. Even a small contribution counts.

9. Ask your local place of worship to ring its bell for peace on January 22.

10. Ask your local government to join the ICAN Cities appeal—present a copy of the Treaty and ask for a resolution calling on the US to join the Treaty.

11. Deliver copies of the treaty in person or send via mail (link to printable format) to congressional representatives and other public officials, nuclear sites and military bases, and business, financial and educational institutions with ties to nuclear weapons activities, with a warning of their complicity.

12. Watch for more ideas: You are encouraged to post your plans on the Nuclear Ban Treaty EIF facebook group, and to look at what others are planning to do.

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Prepared by The Nuclear Resister, Nukewatch, the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, and the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability. For more info: nuclearbantreatyEiF@gmx.com