
Castle Bravo Mural, Marshallese Youth, MEI, 2021
Hope for a Better Tomorrow:
Reflections on the Twin Existential Threats
a joint MEI and RTT Exhibit, May 19-20, 2022


From 1946-1958 the United States tested 67 nuclear weapons in the Marshall Islands in the North, Central Pacific. Today, nearly 2/3 of all Marshallese reside in the United States.
These paintings by Marshallese youth in Springdale, Arkansas, working with the nonprofit, Marshallese Educational Initiative, expose the trauma experienced by youth living in diaspora in the United States and who are learning about the ongoing biological, ecological, and cultural consequences of US nuclear testing on their homelands - a history not taught in US schools.
Joining MEI and other youth from affected communities and using art as activism, Marshallese youth are reversing the trend and engaging leaders and their communities to act on these twin threats.
Marshallese Youth Art Pieces

These art pieces were created by Marshallese youth who are working with MEI to learn about our nation’s history and the ongoing consequences of our shared nuclear legacy with the United States. I hope these beautiful pieces will encourage people to learn more about our nuclear and climate stories and help us achieve a nuclear-free and livable planet for all.
- Benetick Kabua Maddison, MEI Executive Director

Amnesia Atómica NYC
Amnesia Atómica NYC, a collective effort to address nuclear threat, is presented by Times Square Arts and the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. The public exposition on view for seven days in Times Square is centered around artist Pedro Reyes’s ZERO NUKES, a 30-foot-tall inflatable sculpture, which will function as a beacon to bring experts, political leaders, and engaged citizens together and drive conversations around the anti-nuclear movement.