The history of nuclear weapons is wrought with heedless warnings and failed safeguards. Norms against nuclear proliferation and use that have defined global security for decades are now at risk, and we face the most challenging and complex geopolitical environment since the founding of Ploughshares over 40 years ago.
Ploughshares is uniquely positioned to guide the nuclear field through these crises using the lessons learned from our decades of experience and applying strategies to uncover new, longer-lasting solutions to the world’s greatest problem. Together, through innovative thinking, we can envision a bold future in which nuclear weapons can never be used again.
A series of events so related that each one initiates the next is known as a chain reaction. Every year we gather leaders in our field, devoted partners, and new advocates to generate bold ideas and strategies to advance policies to reduce the threat of nuclear weapons. You—and every new ally you introduce to Ploughshares—represent critical innovators of change.
Monday, June 24, 2024
In-person at The Commonwealth Club World Affairs
110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco
5-8pm PT (Doors open at 4:45pm PT)
$150 per person
LIVE via Zoom
5-6:30pm PT / 7-8:30pm CT / 8-9:30pm ET
FREE
Program
Annie Jacobsen, author of Nuclear War: A Scenario
Jacobsen is a New York Times Best-Seller, has written seven other books on sensitive national security issues; was a 2016 Pulitzer Price Finalist; and writes and produces TV Shows such as Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan series. Legendary Entertainment LLC has optioned her latest book for a new project under the direction of Dune director Denis Villeneuve.
Preview of the award-winning documentary, First We Bombed New Mexico
Remarks by Lois Lipman, Director
Music by Paul Pino
The documentary tells the story of thousands of New Mexicans, primarily Hispanic and Native Americans, who were exposed to radioactive fallout without being warned, acknowledged, or helped afterward. The documentary has been screened at film festivals nationwide and won over a dozen awards including The Best of Fest Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, The Activist Award at the Southern Utah International Documentary Film Festival, and The Best New Mexico Documentary Feature at the Santa Fe International Film Festival.
Additional program details to be announced.
Sally Lilienthal Sponsor – $20,000+
A Sally Lilienthal Sponsorship honors the legacy of our founder. A gift of $20,000 allows us to make grants that respond to urgent needs, such as those that deepen and expand relationships with communities impacted by the production, use, and testing of nuclear weapons. Includes entry for 12 guests at the main event and entry for two at the VIP reception in-person in San Francisco.
Advocate Level Sponsorship – $10,000
As an Advocate, you support activities to better understand and shift public perspectives about nuclear weapons. For example, $10,000 is the average cost to survey nuclear weapons issues, such as polling on current plans to modernize the US nuclear triad from now to 2032 for $756 billion. In addition, Advocates receive eight tickets to the main event and entry for two at the VIP reception in-person in San Francisco.
Activist Level Sponsorship – $5,000
An Activist Level sponsorship helps educate and support the next generation working to eliminate nuclear weapons. A gift of $5,000 covers the cost of two fellowships to develop new voices focused on the interconnection of nuclear weapons and other issues and training for talking to the public about the importance arms control. Includes entry for six guests at the main event and entry for two at the VIP reception in-person in San Francisco.
Analyst Level Sponsorship – $2,500
As an Analyst, you help to demonstrate the benefits of safer nuclear policies. For example, $2,500 covers the cost of one educational briefing for policymakers and their staff on critical topics like the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act or RECA. In addition, Analysts receive four tickets to the main event and entry for two at the VIP reception in-person in San Francisco.
President’s Ticket – $1,000
As the president of Ploughshares Fund, Dr. Emma Belcher is reinvigorating the nuclear weapons policy field with a bold vision for peace and security. Show support for her leadership with a President’s Ticket.
VIP Ticket – $250
VIPs are invited to join select Chain Reaction speakers, members of the Ploughshares Fund Board of Directors, and event sponsors for a special pre-program reception from 4-5pm PT and to stay for the program and post-program reception.
General Admission Ticket – $150
Includes entry for one for the program and post-program reception, as well as the satisfaction of knowing you’re supporting “A Bold Future” that is less reliant on nuclear weapons for our collective safety and security.
Virtual Single Ticket – Free
Participation by Zoom is free! If you’re able, there is a suggested donation of $250 - please consider supporting Chain Reaction by making a gift.
Special thanks to our Chain Reaction Committee, the group of volunteers who make this event possible with their input and inspiration.
Chain Reaction Committee
Pamela Hamrick, Chair
Phillip Ames
Tannaz Banisadre
Connie Foote
Don Mordecai
Stephen Sarewitz
Host Committee
Chairwoman's Circle
In celebration of the inspiring leadership of outgoing Board Chair Terry Gamble Boyer
Phil Ames
Kennette Benedict
John Feikema
Connie Foote
Samuel Heins
Gretchen Hund
Amy McGrath
Don Mordecai
Scott Sagan
Sally Lilienthal Sponsors
In memory of Mary Lloyd Estrin
Robert and Jennifer Waldron Civic Fund
Advocates
John and Mary Feikema
Connie Foote
Gretchen Hund
Purple Lady Fund, Barbara J. Meislin
Activists
Kennette Benedict
William Donnelly
Angela and Jeremy Foster
Amy McGrath
Robert and Marcia Popper
Sujitpan Bao Lamsam and Scott Sagan
Analysts
John Bowers and Linda Stevens
Mathea Falco
Dorothie and Martin Hellman
Grace Hughes
Thomas C. Layton and Gyöngy Laky
The Oppenheimer Project
Speakers and Performers
Annie Jacobsen is the author of Nuclear War: A Scenario. She is a Pulitzer Prize finalist and New York Times best-selling author. A graduate of Princeton University, she lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two sons. Jacobsen’s books have been named Best of the Year and Most Anticipated by outlets including The Washington Post, USA Today, The Boston Globe, Vanity Fair, Apple, and Amazon. She has appeared on countless TV programs and media platforms—from PBS Newshour to Joe Rogan—discussing war, weapons, government secrecy, and national security. She also writes and produces TV, including Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan series.
Lois Lipman field produced many award-winning stories for CBS News 60 Minutes, globally —from India, Gaza, Israel, and Guantanamo Prison to Paris and Saint Petersburg. Her films won an Emmy, Peabody, and Best Documentary of the Year from American Women in Television and Radio for "Til Death Do Us Part: Dowry Deaths in India"- a social justice film that led to the first arrests and convictions for this crime against women in India. Lois also worked internationally on documentaries for the BBC, Channel 4 – UK, and PBS. She earned her MFA from American University in Washington DC and her BA from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor.
After teaching at the Universities of Maryland and Toledo, Lois returned to New Mexico and committed to making "First We Bombed New Mexico" to shine a light on the unacknowledged tragic consequences of Robert Oppenheimer’s Trinity Bomb and to witness Tina Cordova’s fight for justice for her people.
Paul Pino was raised on the family ranch outside Carrizozo, New Mexico where he was taught to honor family, community, and the environment by his parents Presiliano and Esther Pino.
At 18, Paul joined the army and served for two years during the Vietnam War. He is now a member of Veterans for Peace. He received his BA in psychology and MA in special education from the University of New Mexico and went on to have a successful career as a high school special education teacher and then as principal of Transition Services with Albuquerque Public Schools where he helped students with disabilities to live independently. Through the Tularosa Basin Downwinder Consortium (TBDC) Paul learned about the harm done by the Trinity Bomb detonated near his family ranch in 1945 and has become a member of the TBDC steering committee.
