Nuclear Abolition Event unveils at CNCC

RBC | Katsuhiro Sasagaki is not your traditional Colorado Northwestern Community College student. As a 43-year-old business major from Japan, Sasagaki, who prefers to go by Sasa, brings a diverse background and diverse passions to the campus. One of those passions is world-wide nuclear abolition, a message which he plans to bring to Rangely and the CNCC community before graduating next month.
Sasa first became involved in the nuclear abolition movement 23 years ago when he discovered the group Soka Gakkai, a Japanese Buddhist organization. Sasa read the words of its early leader Josei Toda who delivered a message of total abolition of all nuclear weapons. At a gathering in 1957, Toda famously said, “I want to expose and rip out the claws that lie hidden in the very depths of such weapons. I wish to declare that anyone who ventures to use nuclear weapons, irrespective of their nationality or whether their country is victorious or defeated, should be sentenced to death without exception.” Years later the message made a deep impact on Sasa who said he was shocked by the strong stance at first but attracted by the desire to protect human rights.
Before leaving Rangely to continue his education at CU Boulder next fall Sasa wanted to bring the message of nuclear abolition and start a conversation locally about nuclear weapons and a world without them.
“I want to contribute this to U.S. society. It is important to have a dialog among the community,” he said.
With that goal in mind Sasa has spearheaded an event titled “Towards a Better Future, Everything You Treasure for a World Free From Nuclear Weapons Exhibition” this weekend at the CNCC Weiss Building in Rangely. The opening ceremony begins at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 21. The opening ceremony will include speeches from CNCC President Ron Granger and psychology professor Jessica Kruger. The exhibit will cover the history of nuclear weapons and their long-lasting impact as well as try to persuade the audience that a total, international eradication of nuclear weapons is fundamental to worldwide peace.