31st Annual Sadako Peace Day

In remembrance of 80 years since the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation hosted its 31st Annual Sadako Peace Day on August 6, 2025 in the Sadako Peace Garden at La Casa de Maria in Santa Barbara.

The event opened with an invocation of nature by Bob Sedivy on the shakuhachi, a five-holed vertical flute of Japan. Kate Jang, an intern at NAPF, then formally greeted the audience as Master of Ceremonies. Sherry Purcell welcomed the audience to the magnificent La Casa de Maria and spoke on behalf of the Immaculate Heart Community, a decades-long partner of NAPF. Perie Longo, as Chair of the NAPF Poetry Committee, read “Hang on to Hope,” an original poem by David Krieger, the late Co-Founder and President Emeritus of NAPF. Afterwards, Dr. Jimmy Hara recounted the life of Sadako, emphasizing the resilience and desire for peace ingrained in her story. Nancy Martin hosted the Two Crane Ceremony, where audience members were invited to take two paper cranes – one for remembrance, and one to send peace out into the world. The program continued with Dr. Jordan A. Y Smith’s original poem “When Fish Play Baseball: Koi Pond in the Heart of the Bomb.” Erica Kokor & Valeriya Zherebtsova, two NAPF interns, next spoke about why they care about nuclear disarmament. Afterwards, George Yatchisin, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate 2025-27, shared his original poem “In Praise of the Peace Pigeon.” As the final speaker of the evening, Dr. Ivana Nikolić Hughes spoke about how the world needs to move forward 80 years after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. She also shared her own original poem, “The Hills of Nagasaki,” written upon her visit to Nagasaki in 2024. In a full circle moment, Bob Sedivy closed the event by performing “Tsuibo No Kyoku” on the shakuhachi.

Thank you to everyone who attended this wonderful evening filled with community, as well as inspiring poetry, music, and remarks. We are grateful to all of our program participants and to the Immaculate Heart Community for their partnership and maintenance of the Sadako Peace Garden at La Casa de Maria.

Please see the YouTube video below for the recording of the event.