"Green Ribbon" symbol of Nursing Solidarity

[PeggyOhio]

"Tie a green ribbon around the old oak tree. People are wearing green ribbons (the color of Brockton Hospital) and/or tying green ribbons around car antennas, trees and poles outside their homes and businesses in support of the Brockton Hospital Nurses." (who are on strike in case you didn't get it)

I would like to suggest making the "green ribbon", (that the stiking Brockton,Massachusetts nurses have adopted), a grassroots movement by nurses nationwide. It would show nursing unity, support for striking nurses across the country, promote public awareness to the nursing crisis and generally just get us all feeling like we're doing 'something' instead of nothing.

Sort of like the "pink" ribbon became the symbol of breast cancer awareness. We could make the "green" ribbon the symbol of "Nurses: our vital national resource in jeopardy"

How about it fellow nurses? Put a green ribbon on your car, tree, coat, uniform. Then when someone asks you what it means, make them aware of the nursing crisis.

[ May 28, 2001: Message edited by: PeggyOhio ]

[PeggyOhio]

Hi Michele,

I haven't gotten back to this topic because I've been flat on my back really sick the last few days.

I see your point about ribbons being overdone. With every organization seeming to have one.

While "industry greed" is a big part of the problem in health care these days, I think nurses wearing dollar bills could be misinterperated, and backfire sending the wrong message, with nurses seen as the one's interested in money.

I suggested the ribbon be adopted nationally for several reasons:

1. Brockton nurses started it. So it is already out.

2. It would show solidarity with them and eventually hopefully all nurses across the nation.

3. It has high visablility in the community at large. As you can wear it, put it on your car antenna. Your front door. Mailbox. Trees. etc.

4. It's simple and inexpensive.

That last thing I want is for this to dissolve into an endless debate about why one or the other is a better symbol, or this or that color would be better. And have nothing accomplished. Lets "JUST DO IT"

Unfortunately we do not have one voice that we will all listen to and follow.

So my one little voice is suggesting this: we adopt "WHITE" as the color of our grassroots nurse awareness campaign. And we show solidarity with the Brockton Mass ribbon campaign by adding "GREEN" and carry it forward!

I propose we use the Brockton "GREEN" ro show solidarity with them and combine it with "WHITE" to symbolize nursing nationally . Other communities might use a different color and could combine it with white. So far I haven't heard that Youngstown or Minnesota have started any ribbon campaign. But suppose they do and they choose a different color. They could freely choose whatever color and add it to white for National Nurses Unity.

So for example you have a big tree in your front yard, and you tie the green and white ribbon on it, or on you car antenna. And your neighbor asks you "what is that for" you can explain it is a grassroots public awareness campaign of nurses nationwide trying to bring attention to their concerns.

The white is for national nurses, the green is for the strinking nurses of Brockton. Then if Minnesota starts a different color you could add that color, always having "WHITE" as the base color.

Then as these strikes are resolved we could remove the color that symbolized that dispute but leave the white remaining until Federal legislation is passed to ban mandatory overtime.

Does that sound too complicated? (Maybe it's the fever) I gotta go lay down.

SOLIDARITY FOR NURSES!

[ May 31, 2001: Message edited by: PeggyOhio ]

[Chellyse]

Peggy,

I am sorry to hear you are ill. We do need unity and we do need something that will get attention. I can see ribbons are symbolic and I know they have an important message for so many. We had talked about them once in the MNM campaign utilizing a twist with a braided ribbon of black and white. Night and Day service, death of the profession and white of course as traditional symbolism.

Then we clung to the whistle campaign which the article reflected. We were suggesting that nurses wear whistles and we could blow them in unison LOL.

Any ideas brought in support of solidarity are good ones, I appreciate the idea you have brought forth. I hope you feel better soon Peg!! :)

[imaRN]

We are starting to wear Teal ribbons in support and solidarity to our union!!!

Peggy, I like the way you think!....imaRN

[-jt]

we did exactly that up in the gallery of our state assembly at our March Lobby Day in our state capitol when they passed the whistle blowers protection bill we wrote. lol!

[Jenny P]

Our negotiating committe agreed on goldenrod colored ribbons for our hospital last March; but I think some of the other hospitals each chose their own colors for ribbons as I've seen black and pink color combinations in buttons, etc. here.

I don't think we HAVE to choose just one color nationally, but if a community (or a hospital) adopts a color and the nurses tell everyone what it stands for, that will work. That's why I didn't mention the color earlier. The patients and other fellow employees asked what it stood for, and there were lots of non-nurses wearing them this past week.