We received a lovely message from Diana Roose, congratulating us on reaching our 25th anniversary this year!
Diana Roose is the author of Teach Us to Live, Stories from Hiroshima and Nagasaki (available on Amazon.com).
Diana visited Hiroshima and Nagasaki to interview the survivors and record their stories, which can be heard on the CD that comes with the book.
Here is Diana’s letter to ANT-Hiroshima in full:
Congratulations to ANT-Hiroshima on your 25th anniversary!
I have been impressed with your work ever since I met you many years ago in Hiroshima. At that time, I was writing a book about the stories of the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
You encouraged me, and my book, Teach Us to Live, was published in English in 2007.
We believe that the stories of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and now Fukushima, must be told around the world. There is no other path to true peace. This work is hard and long, but like ants, we persevere. I learned from ANT-Hiroshima that our efforts can also be very joyful. Working for peace with people from around the world, young and old, can be fun.
I remember attending one of the art exhibits in Hiroshima sponsored by ANT-Hiroshima, where pictures drawn by children were sold to raise money for peace. I still have a beautiful drawing by a young boy in Pakistan hanging on my wall. It is a powerful reminder that young people bring the promise of peace to the world.
My own son, Kevin, accompanied me to Hiroshima when he was 16 years old, and he was deeply impressed by what he learned through ANT-Hiroshima. He wrote his college entrance essay about meeting a survivor of the atomic bombings. Now he is 26 years old, and he has become a journalist. His impressions from Hiroshima have stayed with him.
Your focus on young people is most important. I have spent many years working with teachers at all levels, from elementary school through college, to help them teach about peace and nuclear issues. This is difficult, and it is not encouraged in the United States. But by providing good books and other learning materials in a positive manner, we can teach the next generation about the dangers of war and nuclear weapons.
My next project will be a book (or web site) entitled “Teaching Hiroshima.” I hope to include ANT-Hiroshima as an example of how we can teach young people about war and peace in a positive, successful way. Your work has been an inspiration for my work too.
ANT-Hiroshima offers a model of true international peacemaking. Inspired by hope and love, you accomplish the difficult tasks of teaching about peace with grace and care.
I will always admire the work of ANT-Hiroshima, and I wish you many more years of success ahead.
Diana Roose
June 10, 2013
Thank you, Diana, for sharing your thoughts with us on this occasion. We wish you all the best in your new project.
