Setsuko Thurlow moved to tears by letters sent from 300 Gionkita High School students expressing their desire to “take action for peace”
Feb. 14, 2023
by Kyoko Niiyama, Staff Writer
Around 300 first-year students at Gionkita High School, located in Hiroshima’s Asaminami Ward, have sent letters and other messages to Setsuko Thurlow, 91, an A-bomb survivor originally from the city’s Minami Ward who now lives in Toronto. They learned about her many years of efforts in the peace movement in their English classes and included their impressions of her work in the messages to Ms. Thurlow. Reading through all the letters, Ms. Thurlow was encouraged by the students’ words indicating their desire to “take action for peace.”
In their classes, the students read a transcript of the speech in English she delivered at the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony, in which she called on the world to eliminate nuclear weapons, and watched television reports on the award ceremony. The students wrote in Japanese their thoughts about what they had learned and mailed the letters to Ms. Thurlow last December. Some of the students communicated with Ms. Thurlow by email.
At the award ceremony, Ms. Thurlow conveyed her own account of the atomic bombing she experienced at age 13 and declared that nuclear weapons were “the ultimate evil.” Responding to her words, the students included in their letters such thoughts as, “I intend to continue asking myself about the meaning of peace,” and “I want to become someone that can communicate the preciousness of life.” Impressed by the way Ms. Thurlow continues to take action around the world, one student wrote, “I respect you as someone who never gives up, never backs down, and keeps moving forward with great intention.”
Reading the letters sent by young people from her hometown of Hiroshima, Ms. Thurlow said, “I was in tears when I read them. The messages made me even more determined to continue my work.”
Communication through letters in this way was the result of a proposal made by Tatsushi Tonoshige, a foreign language teacher at the high school. When Mr. Tonoshige previously taught at Miyoshi High School in Miyoshi City, located in the northern area of Hiroshima Prefecture, he led a similar project. “There are many things that students can learn from Ms. Thurlow, who lives in accordance with her own belief system. I hope the project provides the impetus for students to think about what they can do for peace and to take action,” said Mr. Tonoshige.
Chisato Oda, 16, said, “I learned that efforts by many A-bomb survivors made Hiroshima’s recovery possible.” Sora Kawamoto, 16, explained, “After learning about her work over so many years, I decided that I, too, would like to do something that helps other people. If I ever have a chance to meet her in person, I want to express my gratitude.”
(Originally published on February 14, 2023)
Around 300 first-year students at Gionkita High School, located in Hiroshima’s Asaminami Ward, have sent letters and other messages to Setsuko Thurlow, 91, an A-bomb survivor originally from the city’s Minami Ward who now lives in Toronto. They learned about her many years of efforts in the peace movement in their English classes and included their impressions of her work in the messages to Ms. Thurlow. Reading through all the letters, Ms. Thurlow was encouraged by the students’ words indicating their desire to “take action for peace.”
In their classes, the students read a transcript of the speech in English she delivered at the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony, in which she called on the world to eliminate nuclear weapons, and watched television reports on the award ceremony. The students wrote in Japanese their thoughts about what they had learned and mailed the letters to Ms. Thurlow last December. Some of the students communicated with Ms. Thurlow by email.
At the award ceremony, Ms. Thurlow conveyed her own account of the atomic bombing she experienced at age 13 and declared that nuclear weapons were “the ultimate evil.” Responding to her words, the students included in their letters such thoughts as, “I intend to continue asking myself about the meaning of peace,” and “I want to become someone that can communicate the preciousness of life.” Impressed by the way Ms. Thurlow continues to take action around the world, one student wrote, “I respect you as someone who never gives up, never backs down, and keeps moving forward with great intention.”
Reading the letters sent by young people from her hometown of Hiroshima, Ms. Thurlow said, “I was in tears when I read them. The messages made me even more determined to continue my work.”
Communication through letters in this way was the result of a proposal made by Tatsushi Tonoshige, a foreign language teacher at the high school. When Mr. Tonoshige previously taught at Miyoshi High School in Miyoshi City, located in the northern area of Hiroshima Prefecture, he led a similar project. “There are many things that students can learn from Ms. Thurlow, who lives in accordance with her own belief system. I hope the project provides the impetus for students to think about what they can do for peace and to take action,” said Mr. Tonoshige.
Chisato Oda, 16, said, “I learned that efforts by many A-bomb survivors made Hiroshima’s recovery possible.” Sora Kawamoto, 16, explained, “After learning about her work over so many years, I decided that I, too, would like to do something that helps other people. If I ever have a chance to meet her in person, I want to express my gratitude.”
(Originally published on February 14, 2023)
