The Folded Crane Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility Spring/Summer 2021
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The Folded Crane Oregon PhysiciansOregon Physicians for social for Social Responsibility Responsibility | Fall 2017 Spring/Summer 2021 Making Connections Online for Peace & Justice Sean Tenney, Associate Director Though 2020 and the early months of 2021 have posed a unique set of challenges to Oregon PSR’s work, we continue to learn and implement new ways to grow our movement for a more healthy, just, and peaceful world. With the support of our members and volunteers, we have taken advantage of online meeting technologies to broaden the reach of our Peace Program efforts well beyond the borders of our state, involving new partners and reaching new audiences. If you missed any of our recent Advisory Board member Chisao Hata hosts our online celebration of the nuclear ban treaty’s entry into force. events, be sure to check them out on our website, Facebook page, the Prohibition of Nuclear African Americans Against the or our new YouTube channel. Weapons and explore how it Bomb: Nuclear Weapons, Colo- advances nuclear justice with nialism, and the Black Freedom Online Nuclear Activism a lively Zoom party. We shared Movement; Kianna Juda-Angelo, a virtual toast to celebrate and Pacific Islander advocate, founder In January, we partnered with were joined by speakers including of Living Islands, and co-founder Washington PSR to celebrate the Congressman Earl Blumenauer; of the COFA Alliance National entry into force of the Treaty on Dr. Vincent Intondi, author of Network; Stan Shikuma, President (continued on page 3) Hope for a Healthy Climate in Challenging Times Damon Motz-Storey, Healthy Climate Program Director It is a little staggering to reflect Administration alongside a very traumas. We must also never on everything that has happened disturbing reminder on January forget that for Black, Indigenous, over the past year: wildfires and 6th that the violent right-wing Latine, Asian, and Pacific ice storms destroying communi- extremism and white nationalism Islander communities, the ties in Oregon and beyond and of Trumpism is still with us. violent trauma of racism is demonstrating that climate ever-present in the form of hate chaos is upon us; the deadliest Not only is it wearying to continue crimes, police brutality, mass wave of the ongoing COVID-19 keeping our distance from each incarceration, unequal access pandemic and the arrival of other after twelve long months to health care, and so much approved vaccines; and a of Zoom calls, it is also very more. We need to show up and presidential election that hard simply to keep up with dismantle white supremacy in signaled the end of the Trump the news of our daily societal every space that we inhabit. (continued on page 5) Board of Directors Dear Oregon PSR Supporter, Michele Bernal-Graves, MS Treasurer What an extraordinary time for David Chatfield Oregon Physicians for Social Alejandrina Felipe, RN, BSN Responsibility to be celebrating our Maxine Fookson, RN, MN 40th anniversary. With the support Andy Harris, MD of our members, donors, and Candice Jimenez, MPH volunteers, we’ve accomplished so Elis Madrigal, MD much in these past four decades! Elaine McKenzie, RN, MPH Vice-President Challenging times can be times of Patricia Murphy, ND, LAc profound growth and learning, and Secretary this has certainly been the case for Patrick O’Herron, MD Oregon PSR. The movements to President promote peace and justice and to John Pearson, MD protect our climate continue to grow, Anita Randolph, PhD and I encourage you to continue Akash Singh, JD reading about our ongoing work to Patrick O’Herron, MD and his daughter, Violet. make our world more just, peaceful, Advisory Board and healthy for all. Art & Creation: Self Expression, George Austin Activism, and Social Change, and Sonia Buist, MD With tremendous effort and lots of we’ve asked for the submissions to be Martin Donohoe, MD, FACP preparation, we are engaged in this works of visual art from students who Ben Duncan year’s Oregon State Legislative session identify as Black, Indigenous, and Charles Gallia, PhD to a remarkable degree, and we are in people of color (BIPOC). Please join us th Brian Gibbs, PhD, MBA the unusual position to work for good, on Thursday, April 29 at 6:30 PM for Chisao Hata proactive legislation, as there are our online awards ceremony, which Charles Hudson fewer bad bills to fend off than we are will premiere on our YouTube channel. Zeenia Junkeer, ND accustomed to. You can learn more Susan Katz, MD about our 2021 legislative agenda on I think that Oregon PSR has been Yukiyo Kawano our website. so effective over the last 40 years Regna Merritt because we combine a focus on Joel Nigg, PhD Over the past year, we have begun human health with the vision of a Bonnie Reagan, MD a new partnership with the Oregon better world. I had a glimpse of how Karen Steingart, MD, MPH Justice Resource Center to address powerful the intersection of those Frances Storrs, MD mass incarceration as both a public ideas can be when I volunteered to health and a justice issue, an supervise a COVID-19 vaccination Staff especially relevant topic in a time clinic recently. It was deeply moving Executive Director of pandemic. Please read about this to see everyone working together Kelly Campbell important collaboration and our to get as many people vaccinated as Energy Justice Organizer joint success in ensuring that all possible. I sat side by side (masked Lluvia Merello incarcerated persons in Oregon get and six feet apart, of course) with a Program Assistant prioritized for receiving COVID-19 group of National Guard members Katy Morrow vaccines to curtail the spread of this as we drew up shots and saw them Program Director deadly virus in our communities. administered. My role was to answer Healthy Climate Program Damon Motz-Storey questions and address any adverse The Greenfield Peace Scholarship is reactions. Because there weren’t Clean Air Organizer always a highlight of my year. I am many questions and no significant Carina Perez Europa inspired by the creativity, optimism, adverse reactions, I was mostly just Associate Director and idealism of the young people who pitching in on the vaccination effort. Sean Tenney participate. This year’s theme is (continued on next page) 2 I have complicated feelings “I think that Oregon PSR has been so effective over about the military, having gotten my start in medicine as an Air the last 40 years because we combine a focus on Force rescue medic and with the human health with the vision of a better world.” GI bill helping to pay for my college and medical school. of a possible world where we With your support, Oregon PSR While I appreciate how this work together to confront crises will continue to work to make benefitted me personally, I see such as a worldwide pandemic, the world we live in more like how harmful the US imperial where our resources are redi- the one that we all need. project and militarism have rected to beneficial projects been. Seeing National Guard like promoting public health, In peace, solidarity, and justice, members carrying out a public restoring the environment, health mission, rather than a building affordable housing, military one, was particularly and providing care for children, meaningful to me. That vaccination the elderly, and those with effort was a tangible example chronic health problems. Patrick O’Herron, MD Making Connections Online for Peace & Justice (continued from page 1) of the Japanese American Citizens League (Seattle Chapter); and Dr. Hideko Tamura Snider, hibakusha (atomic bomb survivor), anti- nuclear activist, and One Sunny Day Initiatives founder. Our host was performing artist, educator, and Oregon PSR Advisory Board member Chisao Hata, with ASL interpretation by Fingers Crossed Interpreting. Our thanks go to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) for providing a grant to support this event as part of a worldwide Oregon’s efforts featured in the Growing the Nuclear Abolition Movement through Local Resolutions workshop. celebration of this historic milestone for nuclear justice. to effect change for nuclear justice Panel Discussion. In advance of under the Biden Administration. our panel discussion, we screened In early March, our Executive Kelly led the workshop in collab- the documentary filmLittle Voices Director Kelly Campbell led an oration with former Oregon State From Fukushima, and we were interactive skills-building work- Representative Alissa Keny-Guyer, honored to be joined by the film- shop titled Growing the Nuclear who championed our Senate Joint maker, Hitomi Kamanaka, along Abolition Movement through Memorial 5 bill in support of the with panel members Norma Field, Local Resolutions during the nuclear ban treaty in the Oregon Ruiko Muto, and Leona Morgan, Ending Nuclear Weapons Before legislature in 2019. who discussed the film and the They End Us online conference disastrous impacts on communities organized by Back from the On March 11th, the ten year anni- from radioactive contamination Brink and the Nobel Peace Prize- versary of the triple meltdown of released from the 2011 meltdown winning ICAN. The conference the Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima. Our distinguished featured an expert panel and Q&A in Fukushima, Japan, we hosted panelists also shared their followed by interactive workshops Remembering Fukushima 10 thoughts on the dangers of nuclear to provide activists with the tools Years Later: A Film Screening & (continued on next page) 3 Making Connections Online for Peace & Justice (continued from page 3) technologies, from uranium mining We’re supporting police account- at the beginning of the nuclear ability legislation, including a bill cycle to the precarious burial of that creates a new, mandatory nuclear wastes, and explored the use-of-force database to track concept of nuclear colonialism.