This month in Seattle, the statue of Sadako Sasaki, a symbol of hope and peace, was desecrated, cut at the ankles, carted out, and stolen.

We are outraged about this gross vandalism and disrespect of an international symbol of Humanity and Peace. The Sadako statue honors the inhumanity and lives lost during the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We need to continue our fight against nuclear weapons. The threat is real, and we cannot let this happen again.

Sadako Sasaki was a toddler when the skies darkened over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. She survived the devastating atomic bombing of her city that followed, however she later died from the subsequent radiation sickness. She joined at least 140,000 people who lost their lives as a result of the bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Her story is often linked to a thousand origami cranes, symbolizing long life and wishes coming true, that she folded prior to her death at the age of 12.

She has been honored with statues in both the Hiroshima Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan, and the Peace Park in Seattle, Washington. People often leave cranes at her statue in memory of their own lost ancestors.

The cranes she folded represented peace, hope, and long life, and the #CranesForOurFuture campaign encourages us all to envision a world without the threat of nuclear weapons. That is why the Fred T. Korematsu Institute is proud to join them again for their 2024 campaign.