On April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe shocked the world. Its repercussions continue today.
A Contemplative Peace Gathering and Elm Dance
Tuesday April 26, 2022, at 7:00 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm)
No charge at the door.
$5–$35 Sliding scale donation for advance registration: all proceeds benefit local programs for peace, immigration support, and the planet.
REGISTER HERE by sliding scale donation.
Or simply come, no charge. All donations will benefit these local programs:
- Peace and nuclear education (Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility)
- Refugees and immigrants (IRCO)
- Refugees and immigrants (Adelante Mujeres)
- Climate justice, action, and resilience (350 PDX)
Portland Insight Meditation Community (PIMC)
6536 SE Duke, Portland ~ See venue notes and COVID info below.
The program:
On April 26, the Chernobyl anniversary, we’ll consider the multilayered reality of pain and grief that nuclear events produce. These unnamed layers have formed an unspoken backdrop for our lives, over the decades since 1945 and 1986 and more recently in 2011, amplified by the current war in Ukraine. Whether by militarized or non militarized nuclear causes, radioactive contamination, like war, does not “end,” and this truth puts the world at great risk.
And we’ll reflect on our how grateful we are for the world, and celebrate the joy of being alive, here and now.
The Elm Dance is a simple shared process to hold remembrance of those sorrows. It will be followed by a companion piece reflecting what we love about our world, all our reasons to live and rekindle our resilience, sowing seeds of community in the name of our future.
The Elm Dance Story In 1992, Buddhist scholar, antinuclear activist, and deep ecologist Joanna Macy introduced a simple dance at a despair workshop she was offering for Chernobyl downwinders in western Russia. Accompanied by a poignant Latvian folksong, the Elm Dance commemorates the region’s hardwood forests and the Ukrainian culture that flourished in those now-toxic forests for countless generations. Over the years, the intentions for the dance have widened to honor all forests everywhere, and to inspire activism to protect ecosystems and species and create a just, loving, livable future for all beings who are part of our planet.
REGISTER HERE Offered by donation, online. But all are welcome, free at the door. Suggested: $5–$35 donations will support local work for peace, justice, and a liveable future.
Program facilitators:
Betsy Toll founded Living Earth in Portland in 1998, as a space to explore the fundamental interconnection of the myriad issues we face in this time on planet Earth. As part of Living Earth’s work, since 2004, with Joanna Macy, Betsy has been an ally of the NGO Viola in Bryansk, Russia, which offers a broad array of direct, community based services to communities and families across the Chernobyl downwind region.
(4/25 Please note: Chisao Hata is unable to attend, due to personal matters.)
Dave Hoover and Kat MacMillan will support our Elm Dance program. An accomplished multi-instrumentalist and harpist, Dave has played with ensembles around the world. Kat is a vocalist trained in classical Indian music, who offers musical events and classes, as well as musical training for yoga instructors and practitioners.
* Portland Insight Meditation Community Facility Notes:
PIMC’s newly updated dharma hall is fully accessible and welcoming. Please let us know if you or your companion will be using a wheelchair or mobility device. Chairs and floor seating are available.
PIMC COVID protocol: PIMC asks that those attending in-person programs in the community center be fully vaccinated. They ask the community to honor that request in the spirit of truthfulness and responsibility that are at the heart of community care (vaccine “proof ” is not required at this time). Masks are not required but are welcome and available. If you are unmasked, please respect others who are, by observing social distance. High ceilings and ceiling fans will keep the air circulating.