Field Organizer Tristan Guyette and Digital Engagement Manager Colleen Moore were on Ploughshares Fund’s podcast, Press the Button, to talk about the ways Beyond the Bomb centers our work around intersectional principles.
Tristan and Colleen sat down with Joe Cirincione, President of Ploughshares Fund, to talk about our BombSquad fellows, feminism, intersectionality, and Beyond the Bomb’s plan for reducing the threat of nuclear violence.
“We work to uplift the voices of people who have been impacted by our nuclear weapons system. Whether that’s through the fact that was spend too much money on nuclear weapons that we can’t afford healthcare or education for our citizens.” – Tristan Guyette
Tristan Guyette, Field Organizer at Beyond the Bomb
As they talk about on the podcast, nuclear weapons is “Issue Zero.” If nuclear war breaks out tomorrow, all of our work on other social and environmental issues ends. We can’t work on equality, advancing civil rights, climate change, or ending racism if all we can focus on is the world is ending around us. That’s why we need you in this fight.
Beyond the Bomb relies on volunteers and fellows — collectively termed the “BombSquad” — to build grassroots support for nuclear policy reform. “Our goal is to pass a No First Use bill,” says Guyette on the podcast. “So, to do that we focus on writing letters to representatives, writing letters to the editor – really increasing engagement through building awareness of this issue.”
Part of that is making nuclear weapons personal. One of the topics discussed on the podcast is how Beyond the Bomb is working to activate everyone’s agency to resist the nuclear system. Our BombSquad volunteers are located across the country, talking to their communities about No First Use, working with other social justice movements, and making nuclear weapons a key issue in the 2020 presidential election. Our amazing volunteers are putting their agency into practice by encouraging people to write and call their elected officials, starting conversations with others on nuclear weapons, and publishing letters to the editor in their local newspapers.
Colleen Moore, Digital Engagement Manager at Beyond the Bomb
Both organizers talk on the podcast about being hopeful about stopping the arms race. “There is so much hope in the 2020 election,” says Guyette.
Beyond the Bomb is digging deep in Congressional districts all over the country and engaging Presidential candidates to shake our leaders awake. We are making ending nuclear violence a mainstay issue of the upcoming Presidential election, and ensuring that our elected leaders keep their promises and build the future we envision.
“I’m also very hopeful. And I think we’re right there. We’re almost there,” says Moore.
We’re building a mass movement to prevent nuclear war. And we need your help. Sign up now for the most critical updates and key moments to make a difference!