na Hibakushas of Hiroshima

Hibakushas of Hiroshima at Jamaica

When Kathleen Sullivan, consultant to the United Nations on disarmament, contacted Robert Croonquist, currently program director of Youth Arts New York and former Gateway teacher at Jamaica High School to sponsor a classroom visit, he knew exactly what to do. With the help of Gateway coordinator Kathleen Kalansky, he worked with Sullivan to put a human face on the survivors of war.

A delegate of Hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki) and their translators spent time with Jamaica sophomores. The morning began with an introduction by Sullivan and a discussion about current levels of nuclear proliferation. The students were then split into three groups to hear the powerful first-person testimonies. The program was wrapped up by Mr. Yoshida Isao, who works with students in Nagasaki. He explained that his mission is to show the dangers of nuclear weapons. He urged students at Jamaica and those all over the world to work for a future of peace, harmony, and tranquility.

The Gateway students had just finished a humanities-based curricula unit that included English, social studies, and science components. In English class, students read and discussed Hiroshima by John Hersey, while they studied the impact of the atomic bomb in their the American History class. In chemistry, the sophomores were taught the concepts of nuclear fission and its power, as well as the dangers of radiation poisoning.

Gateway students at Jamaica HS gathered for a rare chance to share history with Japanese survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Among the speakers was 84-year old Mr. Morita, who was a military policeman when Hiroshima was bombed on August 6, 1945.