Issue link: https://nnumagazine.uberflip.com/i/593727
money, but we got the people. We are going to put together a grass- roots campaign, the likes of which no one has ever seen." RN leaders have also been sharing the stage with Sanders at many of his sold-out events, speaking about the wealth and health inequali- ty they see daily on the job, and back in their own communities, they have been holding dozens of house parties for coworkers, friends, family, and neighbors to discuss and share why, as nurses, they believe Sanders is the best choice to lead our government in champi- oning the interests of working people, not corporate America. When Sanders spoke in early Sep- tember at a town hall gathering in Grinnell, Iowa, Karen Higgins, one of the RN copresidents of National Nurs- es United, was on stage with him. "I'm here to let you know the nurses of America love you," said Higgins in an introduction before Sanders came on stage. "We will work with you day and night because the issues you advocate for are the issues that we're fight- ing for to care for the people of this country and to make things better." Just weeks later, Higgins again played a prominent speaking role at a Sanders event, this time at the Massachusetts state Democratic convention. And she followed up that event with appearances at two large, overflowing rallies in Springfield and Boston. Back on the home front, NNU nurses across the country have been busy hosting dozens of "Bernie house parties," inviting cowork- ers, family, friends, and neighbors to come learn more about Sanders' position on everything from healthcare to climate change to raising the minimum wage, collecting donations, and signing up volunteers. Every house party is supplied with a toolkit complete with literature, bumper stickers, window signs, and even Bernie bingo cards. "We're just trying to get out the information on Bernie and talking about how Bernie is for the values of registered nurses," said Kathy Gossett, a labor and delivery RN at Bay Area Medical Center in Cor- pus Christi, Texas who held a house party at a local restaurant. "You know, Texas is a hard one because it's a predominantly Republican state, but when you start talking to people and explaining what Bernie stands for, they all agree. Our waitress was a student at Texas A&M Corpus Christi and when she started telling us how she is struggling to work and go to school at the same time, we told her how Bernie's for free public college. Well, I think she's now a Bernie supporter." S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5 W W W . N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G N A T I O N A L N U R S E 19 Want Bernie stuff? Download our online #Nurses4BeRNie toolkit at www.nationalnursesunited.org/site/entry/vote-nurses-values-toolkit for cool, free templates to print out your own signs, stickers, flyers, and social media images. Clockwise across all pages from far left: VA RNs march in New York City; RNs show off their Bernie temporary tattoos. Wonder nurse powers, acti- vate!; hundreds of RNs turned out in Las Vegas to support Sanders in the first Democratic presidential debate; Bernie house party in Washington, D.C.; another Bernie house party in San Francisco; NNU Copresident Karen Higgins, RN with Sen. Bernie Sanders at an Iowa rally. TOP RIGHT: BIGTOM PHOTOGRAPHY