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Shirley Morrison remembers visiting an exhibit on the
nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and being “appalled
by the destruction.”
That moment charged a lifetime of passionate opposition
to nuclear escalation. The first year she protested at
the U.S. Naval Base in Bangor, Washington, home to one
of the largest stockpiles of nuclear weapons in the United
States was 1979. Morrison was not ready to participate
that day, but she helped other activists climb the fence
into the base.
Now in her 80s, Morrison has been arrested nine times
and was recently found guilty of disorderly conduct for
stopping traffic outside the base at Bangor. After spending
a night in prison, she chose to do 64 hours of community
service rather than face a $500 fine.
What resonates most for Morrison in her commitment to
nonviolent resistance is the dream of creating a nuclear-free
world for her great-grandchildren and the desire to call
attention to the nuclear threat in our own Pacific Northwest
backyard.
—Rachel Rubinstein |
