The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (NAPF) will hold its 1st Annual Women Waging Peace Luncheon to celebrate the achievements of its 2022 honorees, Cynthia Lazaroff and state Sen. Monique Limón, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10 at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort, outside in the Plaza del Sol.
Lazaroff and Limón have touched the lives of those living within their communities and beyond, while working to create a just and peaceful world, free of nuclear weapons.
Though progress is made every day, women’s voices are often excluded regarding issues of peace and security, national defense, and nuclear disarmament even though research has shown that when women are involved, peace becomes more possible and peace agreements more enduring.
Lazaroff and Limón have both broken through this male-dominated arena and achieved remarkable success.
Lazaroff is the founder of Women Transforming our Nuclear Legacy and NuclearWakeUpCall.Earth. She is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, US/Russian relations expert.
She also is the author of “Dawn of a New Armageddon,” her personal account of the Hawaii missile scare, published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists on Hiroshima Day. By sharing her 38-minute, near-death experience that day, she hopes to inspire others to take action to reduce the escalating and existential nuclear dangers that threaten the future of all life on Earth.
“The experience of feeling that you are about to be hit by a nuclear missile makes it absolutely clear what is most precious,” she said. ” I want us to be motivated not by fear but by love. To act from our love for this precious life, for the gift of this beautiful Earth, and all we love and hold dear.”
Asked about the Ukraine War, Lazaroff said, “I remain deeply concerned about the increasing risk of escalation to the unthinkable — a nuclear exchange with Russia. Since Russia launched its brutal invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 of this year, I have participated in numerous events and webinars and joined many fellow activists, peacebuilders and nuclear experts in calling for an immediate cease-fire, dialogue, and diplomacy to end the war.”
Lazaroff continues her work to inspire people to take action to abolish nuclear weapons, and offers people concrete ways they can get involved in supporting the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Limón was elected to the California State Senate in November 2020, representing District 19.
Before that, she served as the assemblymember for CA District 37. It was then that she introduced Assembly Joint Resolution 33 (AJR 33), which passed in August 2018. The resolution marked a key step forward in California’s support of nuclear disarmament and put the state at the forefront of nuclear abolition.
AJR 33 calls on federal leaders and our nation to embrace the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, make nuclear disarmament the centerpiece of our national security policy, and spearhead a global effort to prevent nuclear war.
Limón continues to advocate for Californians, prioritizing educational and women’s issues, while working on causes that advance the quality of life in her community.
She and state Sen. Lena A. Gonzalez of Long Beach recently co-authored SB 1137, which prohibits new oil and gas wells, or major retrofitting of existing wells, within a new buffer zone of 3,200 feet between the wells and homes, schools, nursing homes and hospitals.
SB 1137 also requires companies to monitor leaks and emissions and install alarms.
“I am proud to have stood side by side with my colleague Sen. Gonzalez to pass historic legislation that will protect our communities,” Limón said. “Thank you to the governor for seizing this moment to not only ensure we are meeting our climate goals but also to rectify systemic wrongs that have impacted the health and safety of many California communities for decades.”
Ivana N. Hughes, NAPF’s president and a senior lecturer at Columbia University, will speak at the event, as will Kundai Chikowero, Santa Barbara’s first Youth Poet Laureate ambassador.
The Women Waging Peace Luncheon will raise funds to support the foundation’s work for a just and peaceful world, free of nuclear weapons, and inspire the next generation of young leaders to work toward achieving a better world where all can live in peace.
For more about the luncheon and purchasing tickets, visit https://www.wagingpeace.org/upcoming/. Students from local colleges and high schools will attend this year’s event thanks to sponsors who will underwrite the cost of their tickets.