A Monument To Peace
In 1975, Barbara Reynolds, a 60 year old American, bowed
humbly as she received honorary citizenship from the City of Hiroshima. Since
returning in 1956 from a worldwide tour in a yacht christened, “Phoenix of
Hiroshima”, Barbara had become involved with both the heartache and living hope
of Atomic Bomb survivors known as hibakusha. During the worldwide voyage, as
her family sailed into every port on the journey, their young Japanese crew was
questioned about what really happened in Hiroshima. Those repeated stories
opened her family’s eyes about Hiroshima, the atomic bomb, and the plight of
the survivors.
Earlier, in 1951, Barbara’s husband had taken the family to
Hiroshima, Japan when he was employed by the US Government’s Atomic Bomb
Casualty Commission. His job was
to document the effects of the bomb on children during the three years of his
assignment. The Reynolds family lived on the military base and was relatively
isolated from the realities of the bombing aftermath. During the voyage,
however, they realized that nuclear weapons must not be used on anyone ever
again. The magnitude of the bomb and the invisible killing power of radiation
that continues to maim and kill those exposed must be eliminated.
At the end of their voyage in 1956 as they pulled into
Hiroshima’s harbor they were greeted as heroes. People thanked them for telling
the world what happened and for sailing into the restricted zone in an attempt
to stop the testing of nuclear bombs in the Marshall Islands.
Barbara became alone in 1964 when her husband divorced her
and her children returned to the USA to attend college, to get married, or to
attend Bible College. At a Buddhist temple after a week’s retreat of praying,
crying, and asking God for direction, she understood that her call was to show
God’s love and compassion for the Atomic bomb survivors and to work toward
world peace.
From that point forward she worked to provide comfort and
care for hibakusha. She challenged the City of Hiroshima to honor the survivors
and treat them with respect. Barbara pleaded for city assistance for them to
have health care and homes where their medical needs would be taken care of.
She took several hibakusha on pilgrimages to the USA and other countries to
provide an opportunity for the world to hear their stories and be moved by
their humble and loving pleas that the bomb should never be used on any people,
ever again in the world. She created the World Friendship Center in Hiroshima
where hibakusha came to share their stories. Visitors from around the world
came to the World Friendship Center to learn about what happened and about the
peace efforts of the center. Barbara helped transform hibakusha’s shame,
humiliation, and isolation into respect and honor.
Today the World Friendship Center continues to translate
hibakusha stories into English, teach English classes, train Peace Park Guides,
sponsor a peace choir, and on occasion assist the city of Hiroshima in
translating peace efforts and documents from Japanese into English.
On June 12, 2011, several hibakusha who accompanied Barbara
on the first pilgrimage, Barbara Reynolds daughter, Jessica and Jessica’s
husband, Jerry, Barbara Reynolds grandson, Tony Reynolds, and World Friendship
Volunteer Directors, JoAnn and Larry Sims pulled the red and white chords and
unveiled a new monument erected in Hiroshima’s Peace Park. The monument honors
Barbara Reynolds, for her love of hibakusha and Hiroshima, and for creating the
World Friendship Center that keeps her hope and work alive today. During the ceremony, the past and
present mayors of Hiroshima addressed Barbara’s accomplishments, as did a
telegram from the governor of the prefecture.
Visitors to the Peace Park will now know of the significant
contributions of a very humble woman on her quest for justice and compassion
for A Bomb survivors and for world peace
JoAnn & Larry Sims
Directors, World Friendship Center
Hiroshima, Japan
June 2011
