FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 20, 2025

King County Council, representing Washington's most populous municipality, unanimously signed a proclamation on Tuesday, August 19th, posthumously commemorating the 80th year anniversaries of the US Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Led by Councilwoman Theresa Mosqueda, the proclamation goes beyond the act of remembrance, and calls out the dangers of the present moment, stating, "the nine nuclear powers are once again expanding their nuclear arsenals, with the US pledging nearly $2 trillion in “modernization” efforts, and the last arms control treaty between the US and Russia set to expire in February 2026, causing the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists to set the Annual Doomsday Clock to an unprecedented 89 seconds to midnight".

Speakers at the meeting included Ploughshares Board Chair Gretchen Hund, Catholic peace activist Jim Thomas, and From Hiroshima to Hope board member Stan Shikuma.

"Local voices like yours have an essential role. We cannot wait for Washington or the UN to act, change begins in our communities", said Gretchen Hund, a nuclear proliferation expert and leader of the Ploughshares Fund, the largest foundation in the US focused on nuclear weapons issues.

(Above) Representatives from the Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility, the Ploughshares Fund, Veterans for Peace, Pax Christi, Back from the Brink, Sokka Gikai, NW Against Nuclear Weapons, Ground Zero, Hiroshima to Hope, and 350 Eastside are photographed with the County Council.

You can watch the full presentation here. Councilwoman Mosqueda's social media post recognizing the event can be found here.

A video from WPSR featuring a few additional speakers after the meeting can be found here.