Antinuclear

Yami Lester is mourned: his daughters carry on the anti nuclear fight

We mourn the passing of Yankunytjatjara elder Yami Lester OAM, who was blinded by the ‘Totem 1’ nuclear test of 1953 but never gave up fighting for his country and people. Yami played a vital role in exposing the terrible impacts of the British nuclear testing program, suffered largely by Aboriginal people whose lands were contaminated.

Yami’s daughters Rosemary and Karina are carrying on the fight. Rosemary recently spoke at the Women’s March to Ban the Bomb in Sydney, and Karina addressed the ban treaty negotiating conference at the UN on behalf of 35 Indigenous groups worldwide. The Treaty acknowledges the ‘disproportionate impact of nuclear-weapon activities on indigenous peoples’.

We are glad that the international community banned nuclear weapons within Yami’s lifetime.

You can leave a tribute message for the Lester family via the No Dump Alliance website.

July 26, 2017 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | General News