Program One
Community & Cultural Renewal
We host gatherings, storytelling circles, and youth leadership programs that keep Rongelap history and culture alive — even far from ancestral shores.
Rongelap Rising Alliance
Yokwe & Welcome
Centering Rongelap voices in the fight for nuclear justice.
Rongelap Rising Alliance is a community-driven effort to secure truth, health, and a safe future for those displaced and harmed by nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands.
About the Alliance
Rongelap Rising Alliance was born from generations of struggle from the ash that fell like snow in 1954, to the forced exiles, to the broken promises that stretched across decades. Our elders carried the trauma, our parents carried the fight, and our children carry the hope. Today, descendants of Rongelap stand together to say: We will not be defined by what was done to us, but by how we rise. We unite survivors, families, advocates, scientists, and allies across the Pacific and the world. Our work is guided by memory, powered by community, and driven by a simple truth: Rongelap belongs to its people and its people deserve healing, justice, and a safe return home.
Rooted in
Rongelap community leadership
and
Pacific solidarity.
Our mission
We advocate for the rights, health, and future of Rongelap people displaced and harmed by nuclear testing. Our work combines community organizing, education, and global advocacy so that the story of Rongelap is heard, understood, and acted on.
From elders who remember life before the tests to youth born in diaspora, we carry forward a simple commitment: our people deserve justice, safety, and the freedom to decide our own future.
Survivor-centered organizing
Honest education about nuclear history
Cross-island & global alliances
Advocacy for long-term health & land
1950s & aftermath
Nuclear tests & forced displacement
Nuclear detonations in the Marshall Islands contaminated lands and seas. Rongelap families were evacuated, moved, and promised safety that often never came.
Generations
Health impacts & broken promises
Survivors and their children have faced cancers, illness, stigma, and loss of home. Many live in exile, carrying stories the world rarely hears.
Today
Rising together for justice
Rongelap Rising Alliance brings together elders, youth, diaspora, and allies to demand lasting healthcare, environmental monitoring, meaningful compensation, and a safe path home.
Nuclear Testing & the Displacement of Rongelap
Understanding the history behind our fight for justice.
1946–1958
U.S. Nuclear Testing
67 nuclear detonations conducted in the Marshall Islands, contaminating surrounding atolls.
March 1, 1954
Castle Bravo
Fallout from the largest U.S. nuclear explosion rained over Rongelap.
March 3, 1954
Emergency Evacuation
Residents evacuated to Kwajalein after radiation sickness appeared.
1957
Return to Rongelap
Families were told the islands were safe and encouraged to return.
1957–1985
Health Crisis
Rising cancer, tumors, birth defects, and chronic illness across generations.
1985
Second Evacuation
Community evacuation supported by Greenpeace to Mejato Island.
1985–Today
Exile
Families remain displaced across the Marshall Islands and the U.S.
Today
Our Mission
Rongelap Rising Alliance advocates for justice, care, cultural survival, and safe return.
Our Work in Action
We focus on three main areas: community, health & environment, and policy change — because justice for Rongelap must show up in everyday lives, not just official statements.
Built around
real needs,
not headlines.
Program Two
Health, Care & Monitoring
We advocate for long-term medical care, transparent data, and environmental monitoring to understand current risks and support affected families across generations.
Program Three
Policy & Global Advocacy
We push for international awareness, fair compensation, and binding commitments so nuclear-affected communities like Rongelap are not forgotten or sidelined.
Stories from Rongelap
Statistics don’t show the full picture. The heart of Rongelap Rising is in the voices of people who lived through the tests and those carrying that history forward.
Center survivors.
Then design policy around
their reality.
Featured story
“Even though the radioactive contamination of Rongelap Island is considered perfectly safe for human habitation, the levels of activity are higher than those found in other inhabited locations in the world,” said a Brookhaven National Laboratory report commenting on the return of Rongelap Islanders to their contaminated islands in 1957. It then stated plainly why the people were moved back: “The habitation of these people on the island will afford most valuable ecological radiation data on human beings.” And for 28 years, Rongelap people lived in one of the world’s most radioactive environments, consuming radioactivity through the food chain and by living an island life.”
[Khama] · Rongelap's son & Rongelap Rising Alliance Founder
Youth in diaspora, rooted in Rongelap
“They tried to erase our islands from maps. We are putting them back in people’s minds.”Young Rongelap voices are creating podcasts, short films, and art that connect peers around the world while honoring elders’ stories.
Holding grief, building power
From silence to global advocacyFor decades, speaking about nuclear harm carried risk and stigma. Today, survivors work with allies to bring their testimonies to classrooms, conferences, and international forums.
Imagining a safe return
Land, safety, and choiceWe support community-led visioning: What does a safe Rongelap look like? What must be guaranteed — health, cleanup, monitoring, compensation — before families are asked to return?
Media & Learning
Use these tools to teach, learn, and share the story of Rongelap — in classrooms, community spaces, and online.
Change starts when
people understand what happened.
Video: Rongelap Rising
Tip:Click Fullscreen to see the video in full.
Meet the Board
Our leadership is made up of Rongelap survivors, descendants, advocates, professionals, and cultural stewards committed to justice, healing, and the safe return of our people to their homeland.
Photo coming soon
Chairperson
[Name Placeholder]
Provides strategic leadership, presides over board meetings,
and ensures alignment with the Alliance mission and bylaws.
Photo coming soon
Vice Chair
[Name Placeholder]
Supports the Chairperson, leads special initiatives,
and assists with succession planning.
Photo coming soon
Secretary
[Name Placeholder]
Maintains official records, minutes,
meeting notices, and regulatory documentation.
Photo coming soon
Treasurer
[Name Placeholder]
Oversees budgets, reporting, audits,
and financial transparency for the Alliance.
Photo coming soon
Community Director
[Name Placeholder]
Represents elders and survivor families,
ensuring community voices guide all decisions.
Photo coming soon
Youth & Culture Director
[Name Placeholder]
Leads youth programs, intergenerational education,
and cultural preservation initiatives.
Photo coming soon
Health & Environmental Advisor
[Name Placeholder]
Advises on medical advocacy, radiation studies,
and environmental safety for resettlement efforts.
Photo coming soon
Legal & Policy Advisor
[Name Placeholder]
Guides government advocacy, compensation claims,
and international justice strategy.
Take Action With Us
Nuclear justice is a long road. Financial support, amplification, and partnership all move us closer to health, safety, and dignity for Rongelap families.
Pick one action now.
Then come back for more.
Donate & sustain the work
Your support funds survivor organizing, youth leadership, health advocacy, and storytelling that keeps Rongelap visible.
-
1
Make a one-time or monthly gift.
Use our secure donation form: Give to Rongelap Rising Alliance. -
2
Ask your organization to match it.
Many employers and faith communities will match donations or sponsor projects focused on justice and health. -
3
Share why you gave.
Post about Rongelap on social media, tag allies, and encourage others to learn and contribute.
Contact & Partnerships
Whether you’re a community member, educator, journalist, faith leader, or policymaker, we’re glad you’re here. Reach out to connect.
The work is heavy.
We do it together.
Get in touch
Use the information below to reach our team. For sensitive stories or media requests, please mention it in your subject line.