Lessons from Hiroshima: Cultivating Mindful Peace Leadership

On March 25, 2026, "Lessons from Hiroshima: Cultivating Mindful Peace Leadership" was held at the University of Michigan Museum of Art by the Barger Leadership Institute, featuring a union of speakers who shared their perspectives on peace education, nuclear disarmament, and leadership development.

The symposium was moderated by Dr. Connie Tingson Gatuz, Associate Vice President for Student Life, who emphasized that peace leadership is not passive but requires "values and bravery, living values with bravery or courage, paired with steady, intentional action over time". She defined peace in multiple dimensions: as the absence of violence, the presence of justice, interpersonal harmony, institutional policies that reduce harm, and internal mindfulness practices.

The first panelist, Mitchie Takeuchi, a documentary filmmaker from New York City, shared her personal connection to Hiroshima as the granddaughter of Dr. Ken Takeuchi, who was director of the Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital during the atomic bombing. She described creating "The Vow of Hiroshima," a documentary about Hibakusha (atomic bomb survivor) activist Setsuko Thurlow. Takeuchi described how she discovered her grandfather's notebook from the hospital's immediate aftermath, which documented the chaos and devastation as thousands of injured people sought help.

Dr. Kathleen Sullivan, who has worked on nuclear disarmament education for over 35 years, presented the "Hibakusha Stories" program, which has brought survivor testimony to more than 40,000 youth. She used photographs and visual materials to "make the invisible visible," showing the effects of radiation and nuclear testing from Trinity in New Mexico to the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Sullivan emphasized how the program brought Hibakusha into direct communication with students, creating powerful learning experiences through authentic storytelling.

Ray Matsumiya, founder of the Oleander Initiative, shared his grandfather’s experience as a volunteer fire department captain who responded to Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. His grandfather lost his left eye to radiation exposure, but he never forgot what that eye had seen. Through these experiences, he shared three lessons: be resilient and always move forward, to forgive but never forget, and the duty of every person to work for peace. Matsumiya described how these lessons led him to peace-building work in the Middle East and to creating programs in Hiroshima.

Professor Ram Mahalingam presented his "Global Peace Leadership" program at the Barger Leadership Institute, which takes undergraduate students to Japan for a three-week intensive program. Students learn mindfulness meditation, contemporary art, and experience Hibakusha testimony at the World Friendship Center in Hiroshima. 

The symposium brought together speakers who demonstrated how personal narratives, educational initiatives, and sustained practice can transform abstract concepts of peace into actionable leadership approaches. Through Hibakusha testimony, innovative programming, cross-cultural peacebuilding efforts, and mindful leadership education that integrates contemplative practices with social justice, the panelists illustrated that peace leadership requires both inner transformation and systemic change, moving beyond the absence of conflict to actively creating conditions where human dignity can flourish.