FIRST, ABOUT OUR NOT SO ITSY-BITSY-TEENIE-WEENIE
SCANDALOUS NUCLEAR AGE HISTORY
Let's start the story with the very first deadly experiment. In a beautiful desert, home previously to Apache and Navajo, the teeming desert life of Jornada del Muerto, New Mexico, would be dealt an annihilating blow by the colonial powers of the U.S., Canada, and U.K. It was code-named "Trinity Site". And it was here that a code-named team, "Manhattan Project", would set off their code-named device.
On July 16th, 1945, "The Gadget", as they called this device, would usher in what we now know as the Nuclear Age.
The purpose of the Manhattan Project had been to develop a functional atomic weapon during World War II. Unfortunately for our Planet and this part of Turtle Island (North America), the Manhattan project was successful. A phallic obelisk was erected at ground zero to commemorate this feat.
SO WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH BIKINIS?
"As soon as the war ended, we located the one spot on Earth that hadn't been touched by the war and blew it to hell."
Comedian Bob Hope regarding U.S.-led Operation Crossroads, 1946.
Where was this place? Bikini Atoll, a small and beautiful island in what is currently considered the Marshall Islands.
In 1946, a French designer had a risque two-piece swimsuit he wished to unleash unto the world. This was Luis Reard. He was seeking a name that would provide shock value on the world stage. Days before he was to debut his design, the U.S. military gave him the inspiration. The July 1946 tests were the first of a series of 67 atomic tests in this atoll.
How could this happen? The Marshall Islands had been considered "acquired" from Japan after WWII. Remote and with only 167 original inhabitants, the U.S. must have considered this beautiful island expendable selling themselves perhaps on the idea they sold to the Bikinians, that the relocation (and unimaginable sacrifice) would be for the good of all mankind.
Being a new technology, the Bikinians, of course, had no idea what they were actually signing away and not just for their lives but descendants; lifetimes. The impact of the tremendous blast and subsequent nuclear fallout would affect life existing on and nearby the atoll, including other islands. Aside from the 14 ships sunk, 57 animals had been strapped into a ship as experimental victims of this first detonation as well.
Nuclear testing would continue in the Marshall islands through1958. Despite being acknowledged as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this is not the desired and deserved compensation for the Bikinians. The U.S. had sworn assistance into perpetuity, however, like so many other examples of the U.S. government interacting with Indigenous and foreign nations, Bikini Atoll has suffered from broken promises. Bikini is still uninhabitable to the original Bikinians (those who are still alive) and their descendants.
A 1985 study by the General Accounting Office found that many of the sailors who took part in the Operations Crossroads test may have been exposed to higher levels of radiation than previously disclosed. Bikinians, too, are still dealing with nuclear fallout as well as people from the Marshall Islands.
The U.S. is the leader in nuclear weapons testing. Out of the known 2059 tests by 8 nations, the U.S. has set off half. So now, over 75 years later, two-piece bathing suits are still latently, in name, a symbol of this Nuclear Age and the scandalous military history of the world. To transform this, we can rename the two-piece and pledge to remember Bikini for the culture it had been. #RebrandBikini.
For more information on the continued toxicity and radiation of the Bikini atoll, visit BikiniAtoll.com
For history about the Bikinians, the Bikini Atoll reparations and their legal struggles visit BikiniAtoll.info
Para informacion en Espanol https://www.wikiwand.com/es/Prueba_Trinity
ACTION YOU CAN TAKE NOW
Spread the message "Rebrand the Bikini" #rebrandbikini on social media or reach out to anyone who sells two-piece swimsuits: big chain stores, local boutique stores, designers, environmentalists, and mermaids. Send this website link so they understand the story. Want to do more? Reach out to your local press or elevate this with whatever connections and capabilities you have access to.
This campaign does not aim to raise donation money on behalf of Bikinians nor for ourselves. Although we endorse the usage of the REBRAND BIKINI or REBRAND THE BIKINI campaign slogans, we do not endorse or agree that anyone should be raising money on behalf of Bikinians. Please do not exploit this situation by making it an opportunity for or about yourself. If you see opportunistic scams, please let us know.
HOW CAN THE BIKINIANS BE FINANCIALLY COMPENSATED?
Dive Bikini! Yes. The Bikinians themselves agreed to open their atoll in June of 1996 to provide a fund that might assist in the resettlement of their home.
From the website BikiniAtoll.com, "When you go to Bikini you don't just go diving, fishing, and sunbathing, you get a history lesson. Over the course of the visit historical documentary films are shown, complete briefings about each of the ships and their respective histories are given, and you get a tour of the island and the atoll. The Bikinians feel this to be important because this allows their story to be taken away by tourists and retold to their families and friends. In short, the tourism program helps perpetuate a story of the islanders never want to see go away, ever."
So if you are an ocean lover or mermaid, spread the word, book or organize a trip.
https://www.bikiniatoll.com/divetour.html
COULD PERMACULTURE SAVE THE ATOLL?
We have not read anything to suggest it has been tried or is in process. We are curious to know if mushroom remediation is a solution or if hemp might be viable. Perhaps these can be explored with caution as anyone offering help should come from a place of sincerity and not further exploit the plight of the Bikinians.
AMPLIFYING VOICES
If you are part of any BIPOC community and wish to endorse this campaign, let's amplify your voice. Contact us.
WHAT ELSE CAN WE DO?
From here on out, celebrate July 1st as Bikini Atoll Day, calling for National and International recognition of this day for the Bikinian people and their struggles. Take this day to eduate others.
The inspiration for this campaign was taken mostly from a book, FOR THE GOOD OF MANKIND: A History of the People of Bikini and their Islands, Second Edition, published in September of 2001 by Jack Niedenthal. This book tells the story of the people of Bikini from their point of view via interviews and the author's more than two decades of firsthand experiences with elder Bikinians.
Copies can be purchased from this direct ordering link at Amazon.com, or you can also purchase the ebook Kindle edition.Rebrand the Bikini!
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