Ploughshares Stories

The White Sands are always warm beneath my feet and the dunes are endless. They run towards the setting sun as if they are racing to snatch it up and hold its light forever. The sun prevails in its journey though, and suddenly the sky becomes dark and the white dunes turn blue beneath the…

In an unexpected turn of events, I’m now trained to help people die better. I’m what you call a death doula. How I got here is a story for another day. But in becoming a death doula, I’ve had to seriously reckon with the profound importance of death in life. I’ve often anguished over how…

On a sunny, 60º day in San Francisco, Dr. Emma Belcher and I met at the California Academy of Science’s cafe for a coffee following a short but packed week of meetings with the Board of Directors and our annual gala, Chain Reaction. We had just concluded a private group tour of the museum which…

Sunflowers are one of multiple types of flowers known as “turnsoles,” which are plants whose stems or flowers follow the movement of the sun. Turnsole movements show the connection between the different elements of nature as well as the connection between nature and those inhabiting Earth. They also demonstrates the movement of time and beckons…

Outgoing Chair Terry Gamble Boyer recently ended her term on the Ploughshares board. After 14 years on the Board and six years as Chair, she leaves behind an impressive legacy as a team builder, an advocate and a leader. As she looks back over her time with the Ploughshares board, a few key memories stand…

As of early 2024, nine countries controlled roughly 12,121 warheads. The United States and Russia control approximately 88 percent of all nuclear weapons in the world. As of early 2024, nine countries controlled roughly 12,121 warheads. The United States and Russia control approximately 88 percent of all nuclear weapons in the world. The United States…

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Ploughshares’ new approach to our organizational strategy.  The goal: To transform the nuclear field, making it a modern, skilled workforce  capable of collective action to respond to urgent nuclear threats and emboldened to achieve our mission to eventually eliminate nuclear weapons altogether.  We are doing this by continuing our role as grant maker and convener…

Question 1: How did you fall into this work? I didn’t envisage this being my career path. For starters, I don’t view my position as proverbial “work,”with a regular “clocking in and clocking out,” but more as a way of living—what some might call a vocation. As long as I can remember, my contributions to…