In August 2015, members of Youth Arts New York/Hibakusha Stories were honored guests in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the bombings of those two cities. We were honored with receptions by both Mayor Kazumi Matsui of Hiroshima and Mayor Tomihisa Taue of Nagasaki. Mayor Taue referred to our work twice in his Nagasaki Peace Declaration. We reconnected with many of the hibakusha who have come to New York to participate in Hibakusha Stories programs.

Photos by Robert Croonquist, © 2017 all rights reserved