Join Nebraskans for Peace and the Unitarian Church of Lincoln for the 42nd Annual Lantern Float—an in-person remembrance of the lives lost 80 years ago in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima (August 6) and Nagasaki (August 9), 1945. Our keynote speaker will be Shiho Burke whose mother was 1.1 kilometer away from the blast at Hiroshima. The event will also feature songs of hope and peace by Michael Murphy.
 

This peaceful gathering honors the memory of the victims and renews our shared commitment to a world without nuclear weapons. The event features reflection, community, and the symbolic release of floating lanterns.

Lantern making begins at 5:00pm and all are welcome. 
Help us light the way for peace.
 

Our feature speaker, Shiho Burke, is a peace activist and entrepreneur committed to building a future free from nuclear weapons. As the daughter of Hiroshima survivors, she has dedicated her life to honoring the legacy of the hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) and passing down their stories to future generations.
 

At the age of 10, Shiho starred in the film White Town Hiroshima, a powerful portrayal of a family destroyed by the atomic bombing. The film was directed by Tengo Yamada—best known for Barefoot Gen—and produced by Kaneto Shindo, whose work was selected for the Academy Awards in the international feature film category. This early experience taught her the importance of remembrance and storytelling.
 

As a teenager, Shiho served as a peace ambassador for the Orizuru Association through a Hiroshima TV and Nippon TV project, traveling across Europe to visit war-scarred sites such as the Terezín concentration camp, Hitler’s birthplace, and the Berlin Wall. She also met the descendants of Czech architect Jan Letzel, who designed the Atomic Bomb Dorm  These encounters taught her that pain transcends borders, and so does the power of healing.
 

Today, Shiho is involved in several international initiatives, including the Silent Fallout Project—a global campaign and documentary that uncovers the hidden radioactive contamination caused by U.S. nuclear testing. She organizes screenings, forges partnerships, and amplifies the voices of survivors who were silenced for far too long.
 

Shiho often reminds her children that had their grandmother not miraculously survived just 1.1 kilometers from the epicenter, none of them would be here today. She believes that her mother’s survival came with purpose—to forgive, to move forward, and to live with strength and faith. That mission continues through Shiho’s own life’s work.
 

She continues to speak at various events each year—especially during the annual commemorations of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings—sharing personal history, raising awareness, and building bridges between communities affected by nuclear injustice.
 

In addition to her activism, Shiho is a mother of three adult children, a real estate investor, and a freelance translator. Above all, she sees herself as a bridge—connecting memory to action and helping the next generation inherit a more peaceful and just world.
 
Peace,
Luisa Palomo Hare, President
Nebraskans for Peace