Issue link: https://nnumagazine.uberflip.com/i/657502
Since January, the #BernieBus has already trav- eled throughout Iowa, Nevada, and Texas, with stops in Colorado, Missouri, Ari- zona, and New Mexico. Mas- sachusetts organized a second #BernieBus to help nurses reach voters throughout the New England states, making many stops throughout New Hampshire and their home state. The #BernieBus proved so popular that NNU launched a third bus in February to roam the southern states, taking RNs to visit communities in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida leading up to those states' primaries. The #BernieBus is meant to be a conversation starter and a mobile outpost for nurses to educate the public about why Bernie Sanders is the best candidate to represent working people, the 99 percent of America, and, perhaps more importantly, how they must own their important role in building a people's social movement to demand and fight for the structural socioeconomic reforms we need. "I really think if you look back over history how many great changes have occurred through people having a movement and a desire to make change: women's right to vote, racial desegregation, Blacks having the right to vote, Medicare, Social Security," said Kris Dixon, an Iowa RN who spent weeks on the #BernieBus visiting voters in her home state. "These programs came about from people's power from below, not trickling down from above. It really takes the desire and power and J A N U A R Y | F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6 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 15 Iowa One day nurses on the #BernieBus visited family farms in Central Iowa to talk with farmers affiliated with the Citi- zens for Community Improvement (CCI) Action Fund about supporting the Sanders campaign, the survival of family farms, and opposi- tion to the proposed Bakken pipeline which would transport crude oil in an underground pipeline diagonally across the entire state. "I'm a third-generation family farmer and I'm for Bernie Sanders because he represents what I've been dreaming about for a long, long time—an individual who will stick up for the peo- ple, who understands what's really going on in Ameri- ca, who really understands the principles behind this great republic, of government of the people, by the people, for the people. He's probably the only honest politician I've met in many years," said Larry Ginter from Rhoades, Iowa. Another memorable event was meeting activist nuns of the Order of St. Francis and Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin at Mt. St. Francis in Dubuque. Sisters Dorothy Schwendger and Judy Sinnwell described how the order invited candidates Sanders, Clinton, and Martin O'Malley to meet in person. Sanders stood out. "He didn't come in and just talk at us," said Sinnwell. "We sat and asked questions and he responded. It was really an informative experience for us and helped us clarify, having met all the candidates, how him being president would be good for everyone."