Allen
Hester
Allen is grassroots coordinator for the Nuclear Weapons Abolition Program at Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR). He works as one of the principal liaisons between PSR’s national office and PSR chapters engaged in nuclear weapons-related activities and with other groups working on nuclear disarmament—particularly on shared federal priorities. He also represents PSR as a focal point for Gender Champions in Nuclear Policy. Allen is particularly interested in how nuclear weapons abolition intersects with wider movements for social justice, environmental justice, and efforts to reimagine a more peaceful US foreign policy. He has a BA in conflict analysis and resolution from the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University.
I am most excited to work on projects that… redefine our vision of security so that we better protect all people, rather than just the privileged few.
I am looking for partners who can help me… place the nuclear threat in terms of the here and now, intersecting with other current issues, rather than always framing the threat in the context of the Cold War.
A moment when I felt most inspired in my work was… when an activist told me that they felt like they were touching “the fabric of history” when they got an influential co-sponsorship on disarmament legislation.
Innovations in my field that I am most excited to work on… build spaces inside the disarmament community for individuals to speak their truth, when they previously may have felt like they had to remain silent.