Letter: Students questioning Richland High School cloud logo should be commended

I would like to commend the students at Richland High who are bringing back into community focus the moral issues surrounding the cloud logo.

As an RHS class of 2006 alumnus, this very decisive “cloud” issue has cast a gloom over my past. I left Richland in 2009 for California and often found myself in casual conversation about nuclear armament when it was in the news because of Iran or North Korea. In these discussions I would sometimes share the history of my high school and the cloud controversy and received almost universal shock and disbelief from a very diverse range of people.

Regardless of opinions regarding the morality of this country’s use of nuclear weapons in World War II, the cloud makes our community appear ignorant to the suffering of an innocent population subset in Japan that was devastated not just by the impact of the bomb, but the numerous health complications said population endured generations after.

Having recently moved back to the area, I feel compelled to applaud the brave students tackling this controversy. It is truly inspiring to see young and politically active minds trying to change established norms.

This story was originally published May 31, 2017 at 12:02 PM with the headline "Letter: Students questioning Richland High School cloud logo should be commended."