8/5/2006

On August 5th, Universal Peace Day, Kids For The Future (KFTF) participated in an Interfaith Peace Memorial gathering at the NY Buddhist Church, to commemorate the 61st anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. KFTF showed documentary films of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki Atomic bombings.

The event started with a music concert at 11am and was originally scheduled to be followed by a showing of the film “Lost Generation” at 6pm. However, so many people showed up before 6pm that we had to hastily organize the showing of another documentary film called “The Prophecy” at 5pm. We were unable to find enough seats for all the people that showed up, so you could say the event was a huge success.

Following that we were treated to a performance of traditional Japanese drums (Soh Daiko), peace messages from the Mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a poetry reading, Buddhist chanting and a presentation of a thousand origami cranes by the children of Trinity School. The participants were then invited to light candles and walk silently to the Riverside Church, where the last event of the day took place.

(Yasuko Marrie)