When I first applied to work with Beyond the Bomb back in the summer of 2019 I was unsure of my place organizing around nuclear weapons as a Black woman.   Like many things in American culture, to find a representation of yourself as a non-white person can be challenging. The nuclear field sadly is no exception. A quick Google search of terms and images common in this field will showcase an abundance of nuclear plants and white faces — mostly white male faces.  I did not see a place for myself in nuclear activism and I didn’t want to be the only Black person who cared about thes ..read more

Indulge my imagination for a second.  Let’s imagine you are living in a home that has been passed down in your family for countless generations. It is the only place you have called home, and the only place you want to call home. One day, a stranger comes to that home, kicks you out, burns the home down, and proceeds to plant harmful carcinogens in it. Your home is so badly destroyed that you cannot return for decades without getting fatally ill. Why do I bring this up? Because this is what the United States has done and continues to do to the Marshallese people. Let’s continue this story ..read more

Jasmine Wofford is a senior majoring in political science at Appalachian State University. She has worked with nonprofits, as well as her local and state officials, on issues regarding homelessness, food insecurity and women’s rights. In her free time, Jasmine enjoys kayaking, hiking, and experiencing what beauty the Appalachian Mountains have to offer! Nexplanon, Nuvaring, and Nuclear Weapons While two of these are forms of birth control and one is a planet-altering weapon, all three have a lot more in common than one would initially think. Just consider the similarities between who it is mak ..read more

Brittanie Van Zant is a #FutureFirst fellow and a committed wife, mother, and student based in Chicago, IL. Her ultimate commitment is to leave the planet a safer, cleaner place for generations to come. The threat of nuclear war is ever-present, but not on the forefront of the average American’s thoughts. The ultra-wealthy elite, on the other hand, are well aware of this threat. They have created demand for a luxury survival industry to keep up with their contingency plans for potential global devastation, like that of nuclear war. The cornerstone of these plans? Luxury doomsday bunkers. These ..read more

Paul Tibbets, pilot of the Enola Gay (right) “I didn’t think about what was going on down on the ground — you need to be objective about this,” is what Col. Paul Tibbets, the pilot and commander of the aircraft that dropped the Little Boy uranium bomb over Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945, said about the “very sobering event.” While thousands of people were instantly killed, American soldiers were simply completing a mission and heading on their way. While they were preparing to release this destructive weapon with the ease and objectivity of pressing a button, what was really going on, down on ..read more

It can be easy to think of the issues surrounding nuclear weapons as black and white, considering only the possibilities of life or death. In reality, it may be more productive to consider the gray area that is present within the nuclear weapons sphere.  What are the hardships and altered conditions of those who escaped a fatal interaction with nuclear weapons, but did not truly escape because they did indeed lose a part of their lives to resulting illnesses? The answers to this question are likely to be infinite; the impacts of nuclear weapons on different marginalized groups of people a ..read more

In June 2021, I had just started a seasonal gig facilitating VR experiences at a film festival. On orientation day, I got lunch with a couple of my new co-workers. As we headed south on Varick Street, chatting, doing all the normal ice-breakers and polite get-to-know-you questions, I mentioned that among being a student and freelance filmmaker, I also interned for an anti-nuclear bomb campaign. Someone replied, “Oh, so you think about the issues that nobody else wants to.” I felt oddly seen, struck by such an eloquent description of this work, offered to me by a complete stranger.  For ov ..read more

When Veronica Stewart-Frommer began Melt with Eric Gabriel during their senior year of high school, she didn’t expect to book a national tour with sold out shows. Five years later, the band concluded their first headline tour in December. As Melt continues to grow, the band remains determined to use their platform to advocate for the causes that are important to them, like voting accessibility, environmental sustainability, and combating nuclear weapons. Today, The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientist announced their newest reading of the infamous Doomsday Clock, and Melt responded by releasing a ..read more

Welcome to 2022, the perfect year to level up your activism and start a BombSquad in your own community! Whether it’s on campus, online, or at a local hangout, Beyond the Bomb is people powered by organizers just like you! Check out the handbook below, or download a copy on the BombShelter! Ready to register your Squad? Fill out this form ..read more