Hiroshima Day: Buddhist Peace Fellowship Displays Names of Iraq War Dead

Each year on August 6, many peace activists, commemorate the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, with protests & marches. Some use street theatre and satire to bring a message of peace. Others choose a more subtle approach, trying to connect with people on a personal level. One such group is the Buddhist Peace Fellowship of Santa Cruz. Members of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship used the Hiroshima Day anniversary to draw attention to the casualties of the war in Iraq. All day at the corner of Center and Lincoln Streets, the group displayed a three foot tall, hundred foot long, scroll listing 40,000 names of Iraqi civilians killed in the war. There was also a pair of booths created which listed the names, photos, and brief stories, of over 2,000 US and coalition soldiers who also died in the war. I stopped by and chatted briefly with Annie Kelly, a member of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship.